What is the name of the train route where J.K. Rowling conceived the idea for Harry Potter?

J.K. Rowling conceived the idea for Harry Potter during a delayed train journey from Manchester to London.

According to Rowling, the idea for a boy who did not know he was a wizard came to her in 1990 while she was traveling by train. The delayed journey gave her time to imagine Harry, Hogwarts and elements of the story that would become the first novel.

The account is often simplified as “the idea came on a train,” but the route is an important part of the commonly reported story. Rowling did not immediately write the entire series during that journey; she developed the characters and plot over subsequent years before completing the manuscript.

Rowling began writing the first Harry Potter novel after moving to Portugal and continued work after returning to the United Kingdom. The book was eventually published in 1997, seven years after the train journey associated with the original idea.