Electric main line services began running from London Euston on 18 April 1966.
London Euston itself had been demolished and rebuilt as part of the London Midland Region electrification project, which also served Manchester and Liverpool.
Dr Beeching, who had left the railways in 1965, had not approved of the electrification scheme, but it was already under way when he was appointed to the former British Transport Commission in 1961.
However, the work continued, and electrification was extended to Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow Central in 1974.
The electrification of the busiest main line in Britain had been accompanied by the launch of a new brand name, which was initially spelt Inter-City and had first been used for a single ‘named train’ between London Paddington and Wolverhampton in the early 1950s. In the 1980s this brand became InterCity.
For all Railnews advertising call David Longstaff on +44 (0)1438 281210
