Waverley led the way

All roads lead from London, so goes the old saying. However, many people are surprised to learn that the building of what was to become the East Coast Main Line, one of the principal backbones of the UK national network, which links two capital cities, started out north of the border.

Edinburgh Waverley station is the northern terminus of the route, standing 393 miles 13 chains from King’s Cross.

After several early schemes to link Scotland’s two main cities came to nothing, the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway was formed in 1835. Despite a parliamentary struggle, it received statutory powers to build Scotland’s first inter-city line on July 4, 1838.

Four years later, the first passenger trains between its termini at Edinburgh Haymarket and Glasgow Queen Street ran on February 21, 1842 and goods traffic followed a month later.

However, a major flaw was that Haymarket lay on the western edge of the capital, whereas Queen Street was right in the heart of Glasgow city centre. Despite this clear disadvantage, the railway proved to be a huge success, carrying 1600 people a day during its first 10 months.

Yet it was obvious to all that a more central station was needed in Edinburgh city centre, so in 1844 an eastward extension from Haymarket was