Classic route
Avanti West Coast London–Manchester
London → Manchester · England
Avanti West Coast in pictures
Photographs by their authors, hosted on Wikimedia Commons · tap through for the licence
- Distance
- 296 km
- Fastest time
- 2 h 7 min
- Average speed
- 140 km/h
- Top speed
- 200 km/h
- Operator
- Avanti West Coast ↗
- Train
- Class 390 Pendolino
- Countries
- England
- In service since
- 1966
- Runs
- up to 3× hourly
Figures are published values, not live data · corrections log
Italian-built tilting Pendolinos lean into the curves of the West Coast Main Line, holding 125 mph where an upright train would have to brake.
Electric expresses transformed this run in 1966, and the tilting Pendolinos of today still exploit that modernisation, banking through the Trent valley at 200 km/h with up to three departures an hour. The route’s engineering bookends span the railway age: Kilsby’s ventilation shafts from the 1830s under the Northamptonshire uplands, and the approach over Stockport’s colossal 27-arch brick viaduct before Piccadilly. Two hours and change between Euston’s concourse and Britain’s second city.
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 6343608 — 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 6 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: Avanti West Coast — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Along the way
- Trent valley racing stretch
- Crewe — the railway town
- Cheshire plain
- Stockport viaduct’s 27 arches
- Manchester Piccadilly
How long is the Avanti West Coast?
The Avanti West Coast runs 296 km from London to Manchester.
How long does the Avanti West Coast take?
The fastest scheduled journey is 2 h 7 min for the 296 km. That is an average of 140 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 1966. 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?
Up to 3× hourly.
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More train routes in United Kingdom · England.
Planning this trip? Journey time & direct trains: London → Manchester · Manchester → London.