The term "cross-country route" can clearly be a generic one; it is usually used on the British network to refer to the main non-London routes through Birmingham currently franchised to Virgin Trains. Principal amongst these is the North-East/South-West route through Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield, built by the Midland Railway (MR). Other routes will be added as links.

The North-East/South-West route (sometimes simply 'The Cross-Country Route) is the major British rail route running from South-West England via Bristol, Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield to North-East England and Scotland. It includes some of the longest inter-city rail journeys in the UK, eg Penzance to Aberdeen) It was also a major freight route, although now largely usurped by the M5, M6 and M1 motorways. Bristol is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... Map sources for Penzance at grid reference SW470303 Penzances old docks with Abbey Slip and St Marys Church behind Arms of Penzance Penzance is a port in Cornwall, UK, facing southeast onto the English Channel. ... This article is about the Scottish city. ...

The route shares parts of the Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line, Sheffield to Hull Line, the East Coast Main Line and the core Bristol-Birmingham-Derby route, which serves the following cities, towns and villages. Categories: Rail stubs | British railway lines ... This article is about the Midland Main Line railway route. ... The Sheffield to Hull line is a railway line in northern England. ... The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ...

• Bristol Temple Meads
• Filton Abbey Wood
• Bristol Parkway
• Yate
• Cam and Dursley
• Gloucester
• Cheltenham Spa
• Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
  • A loop from the main route serves
  • Worcester Shrub Hill
  • Droitwich
• Bromsgrove
  • the Lickey Incline out of Bromsgrove
• Barnt Green
  • The Cross-City Line follows the route from here to Birmingham New Street
• Birmingham University
• Birmingham New Street
• Water Orton
• Wilnecote
• Tamworth
• Burton-on-Trent
• Willington
• Peartree
• Derby

Cross-country trains do not serve all these stations. The Birmingham to Gloucester section was originally built as the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. See also the Birmingham and Bristol Railway and Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway. Bristol is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England. ... The original station (left) closed in 1965. ... This new building greatly improved the facilities at Bristol Parkway Bristol Parkway is a railway station on the northern edge of Bristol, at Stoke Gifford in South Gloucestershire. ... Location within the British Isles The coat of arms of Yate Yate (pop. ... Location within the British Isles. ... Location within the British Isles Arms of the former Dursley Rural District Council Dursley is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, which gained borough status in 1471 (and lost it in 1886). ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. ... This article is about the town of Cheltenham in England. ... Ashchurch is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England. ... Location within the British Isles Tewkesbury War Memorial Tewkesbury is a historic town in Gloucestershire, England. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced ) is a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England. ... Droitwich Spa is a town in northern Worcestershire, England. ... Bromsgrove is a town in north east Worcestershire, part of the West Midlands in England. ... The lickey banker 58100 Big Bertha assisting an express up the Lickey, July or August 1955. ... The Victoria, 2005. ... The Cross_City Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. ... The University of Birmingham is the oldest of three universities in the English city of Birmingham. ... Birmingham New Street could refer to: Birmingham New Street Station New Street, Birmingham This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Water Orton is a village on the River Tame, West Midlands in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. ... Map sources for Wilnecote at grid reference SK226012 Wilnecote is a housing estate about 3 km south east of Tamworth, Staffordshire. ... Tamworth town centre Map sources for Tamworth at grid reference SK2203 Tamworth is a historic town and local government district in Staffordshire England, located 17 miles (25 km) north-east from the city of Birmingham. ... Burton-upon-Trent is a large town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England, which originally grew up around the monastery of St. ... Willington is the name of several places in England: Willington, Bedfordshire Willington, Cheshire Willington, County Durham Willington, Derbyshire Willington, Tyne and Wear Willington, Warwickshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ... 5593 Kolhapur climbing Lickey Incline (painting by Terence Cuneo) The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England. ... The Birmingham and Bristol Railway was a short-lived railway company, formed in 1845 by the merger of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway and the Bristol and Gloucester Railway. ... The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. ...

It long had 'Cinderella' status because it ran through five different regions of British Rail and had timetabling priority in none of them. This was offset somewhat on privatisation when the route was awarded as a single franchise to Virgin Trains. (The route corresponds broadly to Virgin VT3.) Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ...

In the 1960s the route was understood to be 'pencilled in for electrification' - this would have been particularly beneficial for climbing the Lickey Incline into Birmingham from Cheltenham. However, this improvement did not take place, and modern multiple-units such as the new Turbostars and Virgin Voyagers have made this unnecessary. The lickey banker 58100 Big Bertha assisting an express up the Lickey, July or August 1955. ... Cheltenham (or Cheltenham Spa) is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England, near Gloucester and Cirencester. ... Class 170/2, no. ... A Class 220 Voyager stops at York. ...

During the early 1990s, the network was served by High Speed Trains and by Class 47s, which hauled various types of coaching stock. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... This Virgin Trains High Speed Train is shown here running along the Dawlish sea-front. ... thank god for class 57s that took the bodies of 47s - NO MORE 47 FREAKS!!! POGO, LIVES IN YORK REAL NAME - PAUL ILLINGSWORTH GED THE TRAMP, BIRMINGHAM REAL NAME - GERALD IZAAC HAPPLE ADDRESS - 378 GILLIOTT ROAD, EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM PHONE NO - 0121 454 4679 (PLEASE CONTACT ABOVE FOR GEN...

The XC Network is now served by Class 220/221 Voyager Trains. These trains are capable of achieving 125 mph, compared to the previous Class 47s and Mk 2 coaching stock, which had a top speed of 95 mph. Since the Voyager trains arrived the XC network has stopped serving Inverness, Blackpool, Portsmouth, London Paddington and Liverpool. The Class 221 can tilt on some areas of the West Coast Main Line leading to a faster, more comfortable journey. A Class 220 Voyager stops at York. ... A Class 220 Voyager stops at York station. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Mark 2A Tourist Standard Open (TSO) 5278 Melisande at Cheltenham Spa on 18th September 2004, whilst forming a charter service to Swindon. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... Blackpool is a seaside town in northwestern England. ... Portsmouth is a city of about 196,000 people located in the county of Hampshire on the southern coast of Great Britain. ... This article is about the British city. ... The central (and longest) span of Paddington Station Paddington station or London Paddington is the name of a major National Rail and London Underground station complex in the Paddington area of London. ... Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ... The WCML running alogside the M1 motorway in Northamptonshire The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bristol-Birmingham-Derby Line

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

// High-speed main line See also: Template:British main lines Channel Tunnel Rail Link Classic main lines See also: Template:British main lines Cross-Country Route East Coast Main Line Great Eastern Main Line Great Western Main Line Midland Main Line West Coast Main Line Railway lines in England London... A Eurostar train on the CTRL, near Ashford Model showing the current redevelopment of the Kings Cross area with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link terminal behind the barrel-vaulted St Pancras Station on the left. ... The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ... The Great Eastern Main Line is the railway line from London Liverpool Street to Ipswich and Norwich. ... Categories: Rail stubs | British railway lines ... This article is about the Midland Main Line railway route. ... The WCML running alogside the M1 motorway in Northamptonshire The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...

// High-speed main line See also: Template:British main lines Channel Tunnel Rail Link Classic main lines See also: Template:British main lines Cross-Country Route East Coast Main Line Great Eastern Main Line Great Western Main Line Midland Main Line West Coast Main Line Railway lines in England London... Categories: Rail stubs | British railway lines ... The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line from Didcot to Banbury via Oxford. ... The Gloucester to Newport Line is a railway cutoff along the bank of the River Severn in the United Kingdom from Gloucester to Newport. ... The Riviera Line is the railway line from Exeter to the English Riviera resorts of Torquay and Paignton. ... The South Wales Main Line is a branch of the Great Western Main Line. ... The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. ... The West of England Main Line is the railway line from London Waterloo to Exeter. ... The Severn Beach Line is a local railway in Bristol, UK, running from Narroways Junction to Severn Beach. ... The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, UK. There is also a branch to Okehampton, which has recently reopened to passenger trains. ... The Avocet Line is the railway line from Exeter to Exmouth, UK. The line follows the River Exe for most of its route, giving views of the estuary. ... The Golden Valley Line is a railway line from Swindon to Standish Junction, which is just south of Gloucester, UK. Most passenger services continue beyond Gloucester to Cheltenham Spa. ... Heart of Wessex Line branding on a Class 31 locomotive The Heart of Wessex Line is a United Kingdom railway line that runs from Bristol to Westbury to Weymouth. ... The Looe Valley Line is a railway line from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, UK. The line follows the shores of the River Looe for much of its course. ... The Atlantic Coast Line is a railway line from Par, near St. ... The St Ives Bay Line is a railway line from St Erth to St Ives in Cornwall. ... The Tamar Valley Line is a railway line from Devonport in Plymouth, to Gunnislake near Tavistock in Devon, England. ... The Maritime Line is a railway line from Truro to Falmouth in Cornwall, UK. The line travels close to the River Fal for some of its length. ...