[Trivia] How Many Main Lines Are There?

[tbtc]

There are certainly three “main” main lines in the UK – the East Coast Main Line, the West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line. But how many “main lines” are there?

The Great Eastern Main Line and Midland Main Line would probably be in the “Europa League” positions – at the top table but not “elite”.

But where do you draw the line? We refer to the Highland Main Line or the Brighton Mail Line on here but are these worthy of the “Main Line” moniker? Is the main Transpennine route through Huddersfield a “Main Line”? Or the Cross Country axis from York to Bristol? Some on here refer to the South Western Main Line.

Does it depend on history? Like whether it was one of the "boldest" lines on the schematic Intercity map in the “Swallow” era?

Does being a "Main Line" require 125mph running?

Which is the biggest city/station not on a "Main Line"?

In some areas it refers to the fastest alignment in an area of various parallel routes (e.g. there are many ways from London to Birmingham – via Didcot/ Wycombe/ Northampton) – so it makes sense to designate one as the “main” line)...

...but there’s no real alternative to the Highland Main Line (given the time penalty from Perth to Inverness if you go via Aberdeen). Or maybe that was a “Main” line in the days when there were more alternative routes?

 

[Iskra]

5, my personal definition requiring significant sections of 100mph+ running.

Eurostar would also count. I’m not counting the Javelin service as that is not inter city.

 

[tbtc]

5, my personal definition requiring significant sections of 100mph+ running.

Eurostar would also count. I’m not counting the Javelin service as that is not inter city.

I'm embarrassed that I never thought of the 140mph HS1 when totting up what might be a "Main Line"

 

[Leo1961]

Surely the definition 'main line' dates from 1923 and the grouping when each of the groups would have what they considered to be their 'main' line, along with many secondary or tertiary lines.

i.e.
LMS - Euston to Scotland
LNER - Kings Cross to Scotland
GWR - Paddington to Penzance
SR - London to Brighton

Given the current state of the industry each TOC could probably lay claim to their own 'main line'.

 

[ollyrogers]

Eurostar would also count. I’m not counting the Javelin service as that is not inter city.

Technically, London and Canterbury are both cities, so you could argue that it is intercity on that basis, at least on the Margate run

 

[Iskra]

Technically, London and Canterbury are both cities, so you could argue that it is intercity on that basis, at least on the Margate run

It’s clearly a commuter operation though, rather than a true inter city operation. It just happens to have very fast trains due to an accident of geography.

London-Brighton is the most ambiguous line to classify I think.

 

[swt_passenger]

One of the most obvious differences between public naming and BR/NR naming is that the London to Brighton route is the Victoria to Brighton line, VTB. The route people often call the south west main line, SWML is officially the Bournemouth Main Line, BML.

If the Engineer’s Line Reference names happened to be considered the final word, surely a search of the Railway Codes website would eventually provide a definitive list of what the railway defines as “main lines”.

 

[bionic]

Southeastern mainline to Dover. The channel tunnel and high speed rail link has greatly reduced its importance but it was massively important to the UK for well over a century.

 

[Llanigraham]

The term is meaningless in this day and age.
Around here we consider the Cambrian OUR main line!

 

[dgl]

I think that if at least one of the train services is provided by low density stock with end doors that for most of their journey run fast delivery then that is a main line. If it only primarily stops at cities then even more so.

 

[cactustwirly]

What about the B&H are we including it as part of the GWML?
It fails on the 125mph requirement, as it's mostly 100/110mph, and it doesn't serve any major cities.
Arguably the MML is more of a mainline is it not?

 

[yorksrob]

Technically, London and Canterbury are both cities, so you could argue that it is intercity on that basis, at least on the Margate run

Also, not to forget that technically the main lines from Canterbury run to Victoria via Bromley and Charing Cross via Tonbridge anyway.

 

[Harbornite]

The term is meaningless in this day and age.
Around here we consider the Cambrian OUR main line!

Correction, the Cambrian is the only mainline!

On a serious note, this topic is obviously subjective but I'd say the Crosscountry, Brighton and Midland are all mainlines in addition to the big three.

 

[Ken H]

What about Leeds - Huddersfield - Manchester? I terms of train frequency its up there.

 

[si404]

What about Leeds - Huddersfield - Manchester? I terms of train frequency its up there.

How much is frequency a factor. Eg the Met 'mainline' sees no more trains than the Uxbridge branch.

 

[JamesRowden]

To me, the term 'main line' means a line that has less important 'branch lines' which diverge off it. Therefore the definition of an absolute mainline is a line which does not branch off another line, and has at least one line which branches off it.

 

[centraltrains]

Is Chiltern Main Line just a marketing gimmick or is that in itself a line? Mostly 100mph (I think) but not many express services...

 

[Ken H]

isnt a main line where there are lots of heroin junkies riding trains?


I'll get me coat.

 

[Esker-pades]

Is Chiltern Main Line just a marketing gimmick or is that in itself a line? Mostly 100mph (I think) but not many express services...

2tph London to Birmingham, 2tph London to Oxford. Plus the XC services that run partially over it.
That's a reasonable percentage of its overall traffic.

 

[Gathursty]

My take on main lines would be:
WCML (via Birmingham or Trent Valley)
ECML (not via Leeds)
GEML (to Norwich)
WAML (to Kings Lynn)
MML (to Sheffield)
BML (strictly Victoria to Brighton)
SWML (all the way to Weymouth)
Great Western (to Fishguard via Swindon or Penzance via B&H)
Chiltern Mainline (to Birmingham Moor Street)

In Scotland:
Glasgow - Edinburgh via Falkirk High
Highland Mainline from either Glasgow or Edinburgh to Inverness

Lines that deserve an honorable mention: XC Aberdeen - Penzance and Liverpool to Hull via Manchester and Leeds

 

[tbtc]

Surely the definition 'main line' dates from 1923 and the grouping when each of the groups would have what they considered to be their 'main' line, along with many secondary or tertiary lines.

i.e.
LMS - Euston to Scotland
LNER - Kings Cross to Scotland
GWR - Paddington to Penzance
SR - London to Brighton

Given the current state of the industry each TOC could probably lay claim to their own 'main line'.

That's interesting - so (following the logic) there were four Main Lines from 1923-1948, but several before 1923 when the various "local" railway companies each had their own versions... in which case there'd have only been one "Main Line" under BR I guess>

Could be a follow up thread - which is each TOC's "Main Line"? Easy on a TOC like TPE, where the focus is on one main corridor (which certainly isn't the Cleethorpes route!), but harder on some other TOCs...

I think that if at least one of the train services is provided by low density stock with end doors that for most of their journey run fast delivery then that is a main line. If it only primarily stops at cities then even more so.

What about the B&H are we including it as part of the GWML?
It fails on the 125mph requirement, as it's mostly 100/110mph, and it doesn't serve any major cities.
Arguably the MML is more of a mainline is it not?

How much is frequency a factor

These are good questions - there must be examples of junctions where the "Main Line" diverges but the other route is a line with a higher actual frequency - there are claims for 100mph lines to be classed as "Main Lines" but rejection for our only 140mph line - there are a lot of competing justifications for what is a "Main Line". The door positions on TPE 185s could disqualify Liverpool - Newcastle, but some rural routes only have end-door stock (e.g. Inverness - Kyle).

Does "romance" have a part to play, e.g. the "Highland Main Line" (an advertising term to encourage long distance travel) - I have rarely seen the route through Falkirk High described in "Main Line" terms (but that's a faster and more frequent route between bigger cities in Scotland).

 

[scrapy]

Yes very much depends what you class as being on a particular mainline as well does the mainline include branches? Are Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool on the West Coast Mainline or is the WCML just Glasgow to Euston via Trent Valley. Similarly are Leeds, Hull or Middlesbrough on the East Coast Mainline?

 

[Greetlander]

Given the three northern starting points for Grand Central and Hull Trains are on a branch, but run most of their route at speed on the ECML, do they qualify as mainline services?

 

[duesselmartin]

Anything that ist not a branch? ie no rail connection at the other end.

 

[AM9]

It means many things to many people as a figure of speech. 'Main Lines' exist all over the network as in they are considered more important (by the speaker) than other lines. Arguably the type of train, where the doors in each coach are, what it was called 100 years ago is all relevant. Now the volume of passengers and the services that carry them are relevant both in the eyes of the passenger or the TOC so many outer suburban or even metro lines fit the title of main line, eg. the main line of the Metropolitan LU line is undoubtedly that from Aldgate/Baker St to Amersham with branches to Uxbridge, Watford and Chesham. Similarly the Central main line goes from Epping to West Ruislip with branches serving the Hainault loop and Ealing Broadway. On other London commuter routes Thameslink has mainline services to Beford, Peterborough and Brighton, with secondary routes to Kent and Cambridge. Shorter services like Luton, WGC and Gatwick terminators are still running on the 'main line'.
Away from London, the WCML is a main line from Euston serving Rugby, Stafford, Crewe Liverpool Manchester and Glasgow. Other services from those points on the main line including Northampton, the Birmingham loop, Shrewsbury and Holyhead use part of the WCML and then travel over branches. There are at least two different types of passenger rolling stock layouts used on both the main line and branch services so how fast they go, how many times they stop or where the doors are in not relevant.
Similarly, the main line westwards out of Manchester Victoria is the line to Preston via Bolton. It will be carry both local and regional services using very different stock, but with just two tracks for most of its length, everything runs on the main line.