The infrastructure of the East Coast Main Line consists of the tunnels, viaducts and bridges on the East Coast Main Line as well as the line-side monitoring equipment. The line is mainly quadruple track from London to Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham, with two double track sections: one between Digswell Jn & Woolmer Green Jn, where the line passes over the Digswell Viaduct, Welwyn North station and the two Welwyn tunnels; and one between Fletton Junction (south of Peterborough) and Holme Junction, south of Holme Fen. The route between Holme Junction and Huntingdon is mostly triple track, with the exception of a southbound loop between Conington and Woodwalton. North of Grantham the line is double track except for quadruple-track sections at Retford, around Doncaster, between Colton Junction (south of York), Thirsk and Northallerton, and Newcastle.[1]
With most of the line rated for 125mph operation, the ECML was the fastest main line in the UK until the opening of High Speed 1. The high speeds are possible because much of the line is on fairly straight track on the flatter, eastern side of England, through Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, though there are significant speed restrictions because of the line's curvature particularly north of Darlington and between Doncaster and Leeds. By contrast, the West Coast Main Line crosses the Trent Valley and the mountains of Cumbria, with more curvature and a lower speed limit of 110mph. Speeds on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) were increased with the introduction of tilting Pendolino trains and now match the 125 mph speeds on the ECML.
Major civil engineering structures on the East Coast Main Line include[2] [3]
| Calton North Tunnel | 490yd | 0 miles 27 chains – 0 miles 50 chains | ECM8 | East of Edinburgh Waverley station |
| Calton South Tunnel | 400yd | 0 miles 29 chains – 0 miles 47 chains | ||
| St. Margarets Tunnel | 3chain | 1 miles 32 chains – 1 mile 35 chains | ||
| Dunglas Viaduct | 6chain | 36 miles 02 chains – 36 miles 08 chains | Between Dunbar and Berwick-upon-Tweed stations | |
| (Former Penmanshiel Tunnel) | 12chain | 39 miles 52 chains – 39 miles 64 chains | ||
| Distance from Newcastle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Border Bridge | 33 chains | 66 miles 74 chains – 66 miles 41 chains | ECM7 | South of Berwick-upon-Tweed station |
| Viaduct | 3 chains | 66 miles 33 chains – 66 miles 30 chains | ||
| River Aln | 10 chains | 35 miles 50 chains – 35 miles 40 chains | North of Alnmouth station | |
| River Coquet | 9 chains | 30 miles 01 chains – 29 miles 72 chains | North of Acklington station | |
| Bothal (River Wansbeck) | 9 chains | 17 miles 57 chains – 17 mile 48 chains | Between Pegswood and Morpeth stations | |
| Plessey (River Blyth) | 6 chains | 12 miles 23 chains – 12 miles 17 chains | Between Morpeth and Cramlington stations | |
| Great Lime Road | 3 chains | 5 miles 53 chains – 5 miles 50 chains | Between Cramlington and Chathill stations | |
| Ouseburn Viaduct | 14 chains | 1 miles 18 chains – 1 mile 04 chains | North of Manors station | |
| Red Barns Tunnel | 98 yards (90 metres) | 0 miles 70 chains – 0 miles 65 chains | ||
| Viaduct | 28 chains | 0 miles 40 chains – 0 miles 11 chains | East of Newcastle station | |
| Distance from York | ||||
| Viaduct | 14 chains | 80 miles 04 chains – 79 miles 70 chains | ECM5 | West and South of Newcastle station |
| King Edward Bridge | 13 chains | 79 miles 66 chains – 79 miles 53 chains | ||
| Viaduct | 4 chains | 79 miles 53 chains – 79 miles 49 chains | ||
| Chester-le-Street Viaduct | 12 chains | 72 miles 20 chains – 72 miles 19 chains | North of Chester-le-Street station | |
| Chester Moor or Dene Viaduct | 10 chains | 71 miles 07 chains – 70 miles 77 chains | South of Chester-le-Street station | |
| Plawsworth Viaduct | 6 chains | 69 miles 60 chains – 69 miles 54 chains | ||
| Durham Viaduct | 12 chains | 66 miles 06 chains – 65 miles 74 chains | South of Durham station | |
| Relly Mill Viaduct | 6 chains | 65 miles 23 chains – 65 miles 17 chains | ||
| Langley Moor Viaduct (River Dearness) | 6 chains | 64 miles 39 chains – 64 miles 33 chains | ||
| Croxdale Viaduct (River Wear) | 9 chains | 62 miles 18 chains – 62 miles 09 chains | Between Durham and Darlington stations | |
| Aycliffe Viaduct (River Skerne) | 49 miles 17 chains | |||
| River Skerne Viaduct | 2 chains | 47 miles 26 chains – 47 miles 24 chains | ||
| River Skerne Viaduct | 3 chains | 45 miles 33 chains – 45 miles 30 chains | ||
| Croft Viaduct (River Tees) | 6 chains | 41 miles 11 chains – 41 miles 05 chains | South of Darlington station | |
| Skelton Bridge (River Ouse) | 4 chains | 3 miles 16 chains – 3 miles 12 chains | Between Thirsk and York stations | |
| Distance from King's Cross | ||||
| Ryther Viaducts (River Wharfe) | 25 chains | 180 miles 28 chains – 180 miles 03 chains | ECM3 | Between York and Doncaster stations |
| Selby Dam Viaduct | 7 chains | 175 miles 20 chains – 175 miles 13 chains | ||
| Selby Canal Viaduct | 2 chains | 172 miles 44 chains – 172 miles 42 chains | ||
| River Aire | 4 chains | 169 miles 44 chains – miles 40 chains | ||
| Aire & Calder Navigation | 166 miles 66 chains | ECM2 | ||
| Balby Bridge Tunnel | 95 yards (87 metres) | 155 miles 38 chains – 155 miles 34 chains | ECM1 | Between Doncaster and Retford stations |
| Bawtry Viaduct | 15 chains | 147 miles 24 chains – 147 miles 09 chains | ||
| River Idle Viaduct | 2 chains | 138 miles 23 chains – 138 miles 21 chains | Between Retford and Newark North Gate stations | |
| Askham Tunnel | 57 yards (52 metres) | 134 miles 40 chains – 134 miles 37 chains | ||
| Viaduct | 121 miles 40 chains | |||
| Muskham Viaduct | 15 chains | 121 miles 31 chains – 121 miles 16 chains | ||
| Peascliffe Tunnel | 968 yards (885 metres) | 108 miles 29 chains – 107miles 65 chains | Between Newark North Gate and Grantham stations | |
| West Gate Viaduct | 105 miles 54 chains | North of Grantham station | ||
| Stoke Tunnel | 880 yards (805 metres) | 100 miles 79 chains – 100 miles 39 chains | Between Grantham and Peterborough stations | |
| Bytham Viaduct | 4 chains | 92 miles 63 chains – 92 miles 59 chains | ||
| Nene Viaduct | 3 chains | 75 miles 68 chains – 75 miles 65 chains | South of Peterborough station | |
| Great Ouse Viaduct | 3 chains | 58 miles 18 chains – 58 miles 15 chains | South of Huntingdon station | |
| Robbery Lane Viaduct | 23 miles 32 chains | Between Knebworth and Welwyn North stations | ||
| Welwyn North Tunnel | 1049 yards (959 metres) | 23 miles 12 chains – 22 miles 44 chains | ||
| Welwyn South Tunnel | 446 yards (408 metres) | 22 miles 31 chains – 22 miles 11 chains | ||
| Welwyn or Digswell Viaduct | 513 yards (469 metres) | 21 miles 60 chains – 21 miles 37 chains | Between Welwyn North and Welwyn Garden City stations | |
| Potters Bar Tunnel[4] | 1214 yards (1110 metres) | 12 miles 00 chains – 11 miles 25 chains | Between Potters Bar and Hadley Wood stations | |
| Hadley Wood North Tunnel | 232 yards (212 metres) | 10 miles 70 chains – 10 miles 60 chains | North of Hadley Wood station | |
| Hadley Wood South Tunnel | 384 yards (351 metres) | 10 miles 39 chains – 10 miles 21 chains | South of Hadley Wood station | |
| Viaduct | 8 miles 64 chains | South of New Barnet station | ||
| Barnet Tunnel | 605 yards (351 metres) | 7 miles 70 chains – 7 miles 42 chains | Between Oakleigh Park and New Southgate stations | |
| Wood Green Tunnels | 705 yards (644 metres) | 5 miles 73 chains – 5 miles 41 chains | Between New Southgate and Alexandra Palace stations | |
| Copenhagen Tunnel | 594 yards (543 metres) | 1 mile 12 chains – 0 miles 65 chains | North of King's Cross station | |
| Gasworks Tunnel | 528 yards (483 metres) | 0 miles 46 chains – 0 miles 22 chains | ||