Avanti West Coast London–Manchester

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.

Stations

1. 0 kmLondon Euston
2. 254 kmCrewe
3. 284 kmWilmslow
4. 294 kmStockport
5. 303 kmManchester Piccadilly

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

• Trent valley racing stretch
• Crewe — the railway town
• Cheshire plain
• Stockport viaduct’s 27 arches
• Manchester Piccadilly

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
• Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits under 100 m from the shape of Avanti West Coast
• 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 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.

View on the world railway map →

Read more on Wikipedia ↗