The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a 393-mile long (632 km) railway link between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle, electrified along the whole route. Services north of Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness use diesel trains. The main franchise on the line is operated by Virgin Trains East Coast.The route forms a key artery on the eastern side of Great Britain and is broadly paralleled by the A1 trunk road.