Railway line names

This page attempts to draw together the multitude of line names used for marketing purposes by the train operating companies. Most (though not all) named lines will tend to be rural and/or relatively lightly used routes, or used for local journeys rather than as part of a much longer journey. Obvious names defined by places at each end (e.g. Settle & Carlisle Line) or by the terminus (e.g. Severn Beach Line) do not need a 'translation', and are generally not included here unless there is an illustration. Traditional line names are beyond the scope of this page, unless they are used for marketing purposes, though may be added in future. Many cases are subjective (particularly examples such as 'Northampton Line'), so certain favourites may not appear here, or some lines may be included that perhaps ought not.

Line name	Route	Photo
Abbey Line	Watford - St Albans Abbey
Aberdare Line	Cardiff Central - Aberdare
Airedale Line	Leeds - Skipton
Argyle Line	Milngavie/Dalmuir - Larkhall/Motherwell/Lanark
Arun Valley Line	Three Bridges - Horsham - Arundel
Atlantic Coast Line	Newquay - Par
Avocet Line	Exeter - Exmouth
Berks & Hants Line	Reading - Westbury
BedPan Line	Bedford - London St Pancras not 100% sure that this was used on marketing material
Bentham Line	Leeds - Morecambe via Lancaster
Bishop Line	Darlington - Bishop Auckland
Bittern Line	Norwich - Sheringham
Borderlands Line	Wrexham - Bidston
Broads Line	Norwich - Sheringham
Calder Vale Line	Leeds - Halifax - Huddersfield/Todmorden
Cambrian Line	Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth	does not include text
Cambrian Coast Line	Machynlleth - Pwllheli	does not include text
Cardiff Bay Line	Cardiff Bay - Pontypridd
Castle Line	Nottingham - Lincoln
Catford Loop	London Victoria - Bromley via Catford
Cathedrals Route	London Liverpool Street - Cambridge - Ely - Lincoln - Doncaster (- York) Great Eastern Railway marketing
Central Wales Line	Llanelli - Craven Arms
Chase Line	Wolverhampton - Rugeley
Chiltern Line	Marylebone - Aylesbury/Banbury
CityFlyer	Bedford - Brighton
City Line	Liverpool - Wigan
City Line	Cardiff - Fairwater - Radyr
CityMetro	Luton - Sutton - Wimbledon loop
Coastway	Hastings - Brighton - Portsmouth
Coastway East	Hastings - Brighton
Coastway West	Brighton - Portsmouth
Conwy Valley Line	Llandudno Junction - Blaenau Ffestiniog
Coryton Line	Penarth - Coryton/Caerphilly
Cotswold Line	Oxford - Worcester
Cotswolds & Malverns Line	Oxford - Worcester - Hereford
Cross City Line	Lichfield - Redditch
Crosstown Link Line	Camden Road - North Woolwich used 1979 to 1985
Crouch Valley Line	Wickford - Southminster
Cumbrian Coast Line	Barrow-in-Furness - Carlisle
Daffodil Line	Ledbury and Gloucester Railway not 100% sure that this was used on marketing material
Darent Valley Line	Swanley - Sevenoaks
Dartmoor Line	Exeter - Okehampton
Dearne Valley Line	York - Sheffield
Derwent Valley Line	Derby - Matlock
Durham Coast Line	Middlesbrough - Sunderland
East Coast Main Line	London Kings Cross - Edinburgh
East Devon Line	Exeter - Axminster
East Lancashire Line	Colne - Preston
East Suffolk Line	Ipswich - Lowestoft
Elephant & Bear Line	Leamington Spa - Coventry - Nuneaton
Erewash Valley	Nottingham - Sheffield
Esk Valley Railway	Middlesbrough - Whitby
Far North Line	Inverness - Wick including Thurso branch
Fen Line	Cambridge - Kings Lynn
Fife Circle	Edinburgh - Dunfermline - Kirkcaldy - Edinburgh loop
Flitch Line	Witham - Braintree
Furness Line	Barrow-in-Furness - Carnforth
Fylde Line	Blackpool South branch
Gainsborough Line	Marks Tey - Sudbury
Golden Valley Line	Gloucester - Swindon
Great Eastern	London Liverpool Street - Ipswich and Branches
Great Northern	King's Cross/Moorgate - Peterborough/Cambridge
Hadrian's Wall Country Line	Carlisle - Newcastle
Hallam Line	Sheffield - Leeds
Harlequin Line	London Euston - Watford DC lines
Heart of Wales Line	Llanelli - Craven Arms
Heart of Wessex Line	Bristol - Weymouth
Hereward Line	Peterborough - Ely
Heritage Line	Darlington - Bishop Aukland - (Stanhope)
Heron Line	London Liverpool Street - Kings Lynn
Highlane Line/Rathad Iarainn Na Gaidhealtachd	Glasgow Queen Street - Crianlarich
Hope Valley Line	Sheffield - Manchester
Humber Linc Line	Cleethorpes - Barton
Icknield Line	Chinnor - Princes Risborough
Inverclyde Line	Glasgow - Gourock/Wemyss Bay
Island Line	Ryde Pier Head - Shanklin
Ivanhoe Line	Leicester - Loughborough
Kennet Valley Line	Reading - Bedwyn/Newbury
Kent Coast	London Victoria/London Charing Cross/London Cannon Street to and around Kent coast
Kent Link	London Victoria/London Charing Cross/London Cannon Street suburban services to Kent
Lakes Line	Oxenholme - Windermere
Lee Valley Line	Hackney Downs - Tottenham Hale - Cheshunt
Liberty Line	Romford - Upminster
Lioness Line	Watford Junction - London Euston
London Crosslink	Basingstoke - Ipswich operated 2000-2002
London Tilbury & Southend Line	Fenchurch Street - Southend
Looe Valley Line	Liskeard - Looe
Lovejoy Line	Marks Tey - Sudbury
Marches Line	Newport - Shrewsbury
Maritime Line	Truro - Falmouth
Marshlink Line	Hastings - Ashford
Marston Vale Line	Bedford - Bletchley
Mayflower Line	Manningtree - Harwich
Medway Valley Line	Paddock Wood - Strood
Merthyr Line	Cardiff Central - Merthyr Tydfil
Mid-Cheshire Line	Chester - Manchester via Northwich
Midland Electrics	Bedford - London St Pancras
Midland Main Line	London St Pancras - Sheffield
Mildmay Line	Richmond/Clapham Junction - Stratford
New River Line	Hertford East - Broxbourne
Northampton Line	London Euston - Northampton; Bletchley - Bedford
North & West Line	Cardiff - Manchester
North Clyde Electrics	Drumgelloch/Coatbridge - Helensburgh/Balloch
North Downs	Reading to Gatwick/Tonbridge via Redhill
Northern Heights	Finsbury Park - Edgware/High Barnet/Alexandra Palace Great Northern Railway marketing
Northern Line	Hunts Cross - Kirkby/Ormskirk/Southport
Northern Suburban Line	Glasgow - Maryhill - Anniesland
North London Line	Richmond - North Woolwich (later to Stratford only)
North London Lines	London Euston - Watford; Watford - St. Albans; North Woolwich - Richmond; Barking - Gospel Oak
North Staffordshire Line	Crewe - Derby via Stoke on Trent
Northumberland Line	Newcastle - Ashington
Oxford Canal Line	Oxford - Banbury
Poacher Line	Nottingham - Grantham - Skegness
Primrose Line	Totnes - Buckfastleigh
Regatta Line	Twyford - Henley-On-Thames
Ribble Valley Line	Blackburn - Clitheroe (sometimes used from Manchester Victoria)
Riviera Line	Exeter - Paignton
Robin Hood Line	Nottingham - Worksop
Settle Carlisle Line	Settle - Carlisle
Severn Beach Line	Bristol - Severn Beach
Shakespeare Line	Jewellery Quarter - Shirley - Stratford-upon-Avon
Solent & Wessex	London Waterloo - Portsmouth/Weymouth
Solent Link	Southampton/Eastleigh - Portsmouth
Southend Line	Shenfield - Southend Victoria
South Fylde Line	Preston - Blackpool South
South London Lines	London Victoria/London Bridge suburban services to Surrey/Sussex
South Western Lines	London Waterloo Suburban services to Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey
Stour Line	Rugby - Birmingham - Stafford
Stour Valley Line	Marks Tey - Sudbury
Strawberry Line	Shepton Mallet - Clevedon not 100% sure that this was used on marketing material when an operational railway
Suffragette Line	Gospel Oak - Barking Riverside
Sunshine Coast Line	Colchester - Walton/Clacton
Sussex Coast	London Victoria/London Bridge to and around Sussex coast
Swanline	Cardiff - Swansea (stopping services)
Tamar Valley Line	Gunnislake branch
Tarka Line	Exeter - Barnstaple
Tees Valley Line	Bishop Aukland - Saltburn
Thames Line	London Paddington - Reading and branches
Thameslink	Sevenoaks/Brighton/Guildford via Elephant & Castle/London Bridge and Blackfriars - Bedford, including Moorgate - Farringdon this is as the service started, and is significantly different from the Thameslink map as it is now
Treherbert Line	Cardiff Central - Treherbert
Trent Valley line	Rugby - Stafford (direct)
Tyne Valley Line	Newcastle - Carlisle
Vale of Glamorgan Line	Cardiff - Rhoose - Bridgend
Vale of Glamorgan Line/Rhymney Line	Bridgend/Barry Island - Cardiff Central/Rhymney note that the 2024 Transport for Wales route diagram does not distinguish between these two lines, showing one line and colour thought but labelled separately at each end
Varsity Line	Oxford - Cambridge
WatEus Line	Suggested name for Watford - London Euston suburban route, named in similar manner to BedPan line. Believed (but not certain) never seriously considered or used, Harlequin Line used instead
Waveney Valley Line	Halesworth - Norwich - Stowmarket?
Weaver Line	London Liverpool Street - Enfield Town/Cheshunt/Chingford
West Anglia	London Liverpool Street - Kings Lynn and branches
West Coast Main Line	London Euston - Glasgow
West Highland Line	Craigendoran - Fort William - Mallaig
West Highland Line	Craigendoran - Fort William
West Of England	London Waterloo - Exeter via Salisbury
Wharfedale Line	Ilkley branch
Wherry Line	Norwich - Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft
Windrush Line	Highbury & Islington - New Cross/Clapham Junction/Crystal Palace/West Croydon
Wirral Line	Liverpool - New Brighton/West Kirby/Ellesmere Port/Chester
Yorkshire Coast Line	Hull - Scarborough