Avanti West Coast London–Birmingham

Traces the pioneering 1838 London and Birmingham Railway, the first great trunk line driven into the capital, from Euston to England’s second city.

The London & Birmingham Railway of 1838 was the world’s first long-distance trunk line, engineered by Robert Stephenson with earthworks on a scale nothing had demanded before. Kilsby Tunnel alone, with its vast ventilation shafts, nearly broke the project. Pendolinos now cover the 182 km in under an hour and a half, sharing the corridor with the HS2 works being carved alongside for the 2030s. Coventry’s three spires pass on the right before New Street’s underground caverns swallow the arrival.

Stations

1. 0 kmLondon Euston
2. 151 kmCoventry
3. 168 kmBirmingham International
4. 181 kmBirmingham New Street

The stations OpenStreetMap lists for this service, in order, with the distance along the line as drawn here. A train may skip some of them.

Along the way

• Euston departure over Camden bank
• Kilsby Tunnel of 1838
• HS2 works alongside
• Coventry’s three spires
• Birmingham New Street

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 6345528 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 3 m from it
• Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits under 100 m from the shape of the scheduled train on this line
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Avanti West Coast?

The Avanti West Coast runs 182 km from London to Birmingham.

How long does the Avanti West Coast take?

The fastest scheduled journey is 1 h 23 min for the 182 km. That is an average of 132 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 200 km/h.

Who runs the Avanti West Coast?

Avanti West Coast, with Class 390 Pendolino.

How old is the Avanti West Coast?

The line has been in service since 1838. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How often does the Avanti West Coast run?

Every 20–30 min.

View on the world railway map →

Read more on Wikipedia ↗