Northern Lights (passenger train)

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This article is about the passenger train. For other uses, see Northern Lights.

The Northern Lights route map

Scotland / England

The Northern Lights is one of the four named passenger trains operated by National Express East Coast (NXEC) on the UK National Rail network. NXEC runs one train a day each way between London King's Cross and Aberdeen on the East Coast Main Line (ECML). Both services are named The Northern Lights and are operated by diesel-powered InterCity 125 High Speed Trains (HST) as the route is not electrified north of Edinburgh.

The route is one of the longest in Britain at 523 miles and the train takes just over 7 hours to cover the journey. Longer routes include the Highland Chieftain, the Caledonian Sleeper and a CrossCountry service from Penzance to Dundee, which covers 705 miles.

NXEC's three other named services are the Hull Executive, the Highland Chieftain and, probably the most well-known, the Flying Scotsman.