To Scotland
In the 1870s a dispute with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) over access rights to the LNWR line to Scotland caused the MR to construct the Settle and Carlisle line, the highest main line in England, in order to secure the company's access to Scotland.
The dispute with the LNWR was settled before the Settle and Carlisle was built, but Parliament refused to allow the MR to withdraw from the project. The Midland was also under pressure from Scottish railway companies which were eagerly awaiting the Midland traffic reaching Carlisle as it would allow them to challenge the Caledonian Railway's dominance over the west coast rail traffic to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Glasgow and South Western Railway had its own route from Carlisle to Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock whilst the North British Railway had built a line through the Scottish Borders from Carlisle to Edinburgh. The Midland was obliged to go ahead with the new line and the Settle to Carlisle route was completed in 1876.
Read more about this topic: Midland Railway
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