Stourbridge Junction railway station
Encyclopedia
Stourbridge Junction railway station is a railway station on the Birmingham, Worcester and Kidderminster Line
in West Midlands
, England
. Stourbridge Town Branch Line
runs from the station to Stourbridge
town centre. Until 1974, the station was in Worcestershire
.
The nearest railway stations are Hagley
, Stourbridge Town
and Lye
.
line, at a slightly different location to the present station, under the name of Stourbridge. The junction came about when the Stourbridge Railway built their line to Lye and beyond.
Stourbridge become a double junction on October 1, 1879 when the branch to Stourbridge Town and goods was opened.
On 1 October 1901 the new station opened 400 yards to the south of the original.
In 1962, the OW&WR was closed to passenger traffic north of Stourbridge by the British Transport Commission
, although the route remained open for freight. Today only the section as far as the Round Oak Steel Terminal
is still in use.
The station was previously a four platform station, comprising two island platforms. The southern divergence to Platform 1, which is now solely served by the Stourbridge Town branch, was taken up some years ago and the end of the line is surrounded by fencing. Inside this fencing is a shed which houses the experimental Parry People Mover that is currently used on the branch line. Platform 4 was also closed some years ago, with the adjacent carriage sidings being removed to make way for a car park. Track has also been rationalised in the yard to the north in recent years.
There is a vast array of sidings to the north of the station and they are often used to rest various maintenance vehicles and trains, and they are home to a Chiltern Railways
LMD (light maintenance depot) where at night, and on Sundays, many Class 168
trains can be seen stabled.
The Signalbox controls from just north of Hagley, to near Jewellery Quarter. It works Track Circuit Block to Blakedown Signal Box and the West Midlands Signalling Centre (Snow Hill Workstation).
/London Midland
Class 172 DMU units
. They usually run to Birmingham Snow Hill via Smethwick Galton Bridge
, and to Kidderminster
, Worcester Shrub Hill
or Great Malvern
. Trains to Birmingham usually continue to Whitlocks End
, Stratford-upon-Avon
, or Dorridge
. London Midland maintains a small train crew depot at Stourbridge Junction, no traction units were stabled at the station except when the class 153 DMU that previously operated on the town branch was stabled over night.
Chiltern Railways
also provide a peak time service to London Marylebone, commencing at Kidderminster
and running via Birmingham Snow Hill. Chiltern's train depot is located just to the north of the station past the signal box, Chiltern also maintains a small Train Crew Depot at Stourbridge Junction.
Despite local opposition, trains from Stourbridge to Birmingham New Street no longer run.
Trains operating from the Junction to Stourbridge Town are currently being run by Class 139 units
. The town branch is operated by a one train working staff, which is also required to operated the Ground Frame (just bellow the signal box) to allow train to enter or exit the branch. The new 139 unit that operates the service no longer needs to leave the line like the previous 153 DMU unit, that was cleaned and re-fueled at Tyeseley in Birmingham, as the 139 has its own compound at the end of the branch at the Kidderminster end of the station.
Charter trains can often be seen either stopped or routed through the station on weekends, since Stourbridge Junction is on the route to Kidderminster, where a lot of tours operate from or to. Two CrossCountry
services - one early morning and one late evening - are timetabled to route through, but not call at, Stourbridge Junction. These start and terminate from New Street. The station also sees frequent expresses pass through when the Lickey Incline
is closed.
have a Light Maintenance Depot at Stourbridge Junction which stores 3-4 Class 168 Clubmans
during each night to commence the 3-4 Kidderminster - London daily services.
Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line
The Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line is a commuter railway line from Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester via Stourbridge and Kidderminster. It is part of the Snow Hill Lines, with trains operated by London Midland and Chiltern Railways using by and diesel units...
in West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Stourbridge Town Branch Line
Stourbridge Town Branch Line
The Stourbridge Town Branch Line is a railway branch line, in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is claimed to be the shortest branch line in Europe, and many miniature railways are certainly longer....
runs from the station to Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
town centre. Until 1974, the station was in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
The nearest railway stations are Hagley
Hagley railway station
Hagley railway station serves the English village of Hagley, Worcestershire. It was opened in 1862 as part of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway. The station retains its GWR-era station building and its cast and wrought iron monogrammed GWR canopied footbridge dating from 1884...
, Stourbridge Town
Stourbridge Town railway station
Stourbridge Town is a railway station near the centre of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is situated at the end of a short branch line linking the station with Stourbridge Junction just 0.8 miles away, where passengers can change for mainline train services...
and Lye
Lye railway station
Lye railway station serves the Lye area of Stourbridge, in the West Midlands of England. The station is managed by London Midland, who provide the majority of train services; Chiltern Railways also operate a small number of trains...
.
History
The station was opened in 1852 on the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railwayOxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
line, at a slightly different location to the present station, under the name of Stourbridge. The junction came about when the Stourbridge Railway built their line to Lye and beyond.
Stourbridge become a double junction on October 1, 1879 when the branch to Stourbridge Town and goods was opened.
On 1 October 1901 the new station opened 400 yards to the south of the original.
In 1962, the OW&WR was closed to passenger traffic north of Stourbridge by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
, although the route remained open for freight. Today only the section as far as the Round Oak Steel Terminal
Round Oak Steel Terminal
Round Oak Steel Terminal is a railway freight terminal dealing in steel from the Round Oak Steel Works until 1982 and from other sources thereafter, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England managed by Corus Group.-History:...
is still in use.
The station was previously a four platform station, comprising two island platforms. The southern divergence to Platform 1, which is now solely served by the Stourbridge Town branch, was taken up some years ago and the end of the line is surrounded by fencing. Inside this fencing is a shed which houses the experimental Parry People Mover that is currently used on the branch line. Platform 4 was also closed some years ago, with the adjacent carriage sidings being removed to make way for a car park. Track has also been rationalised in the yard to the north in recent years.
There is a vast array of sidings to the north of the station and they are often used to rest various maintenance vehicles and trains, and they are home to a Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
LMD (light maintenance depot) where at night, and on Sundays, many Class 168
British Rail Class 168
The Class 168 Clubman is a diesel multiple-unit train used on services between London and the Midlands.-Description:The units were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units was classified 168/0 under TOPS and resembled the Class 165 units previously built by BREL at York...
trains can be seen stabled.
The Signalbox controls from just north of Hagley, to near Jewellery Quarter. It works Track Circuit Block to Blakedown Signal Box and the West Midlands Signalling Centre (Snow Hill Workstation).
Services
From Stourbridge Junction, the main trains in service are CentroWest Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
/London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
Class 172 DMU units
British Rail Class 172
The Class 172 is a type of diesel multiple unit of the Turbostar family, similar to the Class 168, Class 170 and Class 171.-Technical details and variants :There will be four sub-types:*Class 172/0 - two-car units in operation with London Overground...
. They usually run to Birmingham Snow Hill via Smethwick Galton Bridge
Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station
Smethwick Galton Bridge is a railway station in Smethwick, West Midlands, England.The station is situated where two lines cross at different levels: the line from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stourbridge Junction crosses over the Stour Valley Line by means of a bridge. There are four platforms, two on...
, and to Kidderminster
Kidderminster railway station
Kidderminster railway station is the main station serving the large town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The station is operated by London Midland.-Facilities:...
, Worcester Shrub Hill
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station is one of two railway stations serving the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England. It is managed by London Midland, and it is also served by First Great Western....
or Great Malvern
Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station serves the line between Worcester and Hereford. It is situated close to the centre of Great Malvern, England. It is one of two stations serving the town of Malvern, the other being Malvern Link station...
. Trains to Birmingham usually continue to Whitlocks End
Whitlocks End railway station
Whitlocks End railway station serves the village of Whitlock's End in the West Midlands of England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-Services:...
, Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon railway station
Stratford-upon-Avon railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. It was once a through station on the Great Western Railway route from Birmingham to Cheltenham, but has been the terminus of the line since 1976.There are plans for a new...
, or Dorridge
Dorridge railway station
Dorridge railway station serves the village of Dorridge in the West Midlands of England. The station is served by Chiltern Railways, who manage the station, and also by London Midland.-History:...
. London Midland maintains a small train crew depot at Stourbridge Junction, no traction units were stabled at the station except when the class 153 DMU that previously operated on the town branch was stabled over night.
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
also provide a peak time service to London Marylebone, commencing at Kidderminster
Kidderminster railway station
Kidderminster railway station is the main station serving the large town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The station is operated by London Midland.-Facilities:...
and running via Birmingham Snow Hill. Chiltern's train depot is located just to the north of the station past the signal box, Chiltern also maintains a small Train Crew Depot at Stourbridge Junction.
Despite local opposition, trains from Stourbridge to Birmingham New Street no longer run.
British Rail Class 139
British Rail Class 139 is the TOPS classification for PPM60 model lightweight railcars built by Parry People Movers, for use on the British rail network...
. The town branch is operated by a one train working staff, which is also required to operated the Ground Frame (just bellow the signal box) to allow train to enter or exit the branch. The new 139 unit that operates the service no longer needs to leave the line like the previous 153 DMU unit, that was cleaned and re-fueled at Tyeseley in Birmingham, as the 139 has its own compound at the end of the branch at the Kidderminster end of the station.
Charter trains can often be seen either stopped or routed through the station on weekends, since Stourbridge Junction is on the route to Kidderminster, where a lot of tours operate from or to. Two CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services - one early morning and one late evening - are timetabled to route through, but not call at, Stourbridge Junction. These start and terminate from New Street. The station also sees frequent expresses pass through when the Lickey Incline
Lickey Incline
The Lickey Incline is the steepest sustained main-line railway incline in Great Britain and is situated south of Birmingham, in England. The climb is a gradient of 1-in-37.7 for a continuous distance of two miles ....
is closed.
Freight
In the recent economic downturn freight through Stourbridge Junction has lessened significantly. There is now just 3 steel train per day each way to and from Round Oak. Other 'as required' services include the scrap steel service and a new stone service from Croft to Brierley Hill which operate on Fridays, and a nuclear flask train which operates from Bridgwater to Crewe.Stourbridge LMD
Chiltern RailwaysChiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
have a Light Maintenance Depot at Stourbridge Junction which stores 3-4 Class 168 Clubmans
British Rail Class 168
The Class 168 Clubman is a diesel multiple-unit train used on services between London and the Midlands.-Description:The units were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units was classified 168/0 under TOPS and resembled the Class 165 units previously built by BREL at York...
during each night to commence the 3-4 Kidderminster - London daily services.