| abstract | - The Great Central Main Line (GCML), also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR), is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester. The GCML was the last main line railway built in Britain during the Victorian period, and it was not initially a financial success, only recovering under the leadership of Sam Fay. Though initially planned largely with long-distance passenger services in mind, in practice the line's most important function became to carry goods traffic, notably coal. In the 1960s, the line was viewed by Doctor Beeching as an unnecessary duplication of other lines which served the same places, especially the Midland Main Line and to a lesser extent the West Coast Main Line. Most of the route was closed between 1966 and 1969 under the Beeching axe.
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