Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway
Encyclopedia
The Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway was incorporated in 1865 in order to connect the city of Wolverhampton
, England
with nearby towns such as Walsall
, Willenhall
and Wednesfield
.
, and had stations at the following locations:
The railway opened on 1 November 1872 and was initially operated jointly by the Midland Railway
and the London and North Western Railway
. The route was 8 miles long.
However, disagreements between the partners soon appeared, and the railway was bought outright by the London and North Western Railway in 1875. A year later it was sold to the Midland Railway, and was then connected to the Sutton Park Line. This allowed the Midland Railway to have a direct route into Wolverhampton.
. This would have led to the unusual situation of having three stations for three different companies next to each other, and an Act of Parliament
to allow construction of the new station was passed on 28 June 1877. However, the London and North Western Railway also gained an Act on the same day to allow construction of the "Loop Line" between the Grand Junction Railway
and Wolverhampton High Level (which would allow the LNWR access to Willenhall and Walsall via that route), and to allow the extension of the High Level station itself. This would have caused access problems for both the Low Level station, and the proposed station at Wednesfield Road. Eventually, the extension plan was dropped, and the Midland Railway managed to renegotiate the use of Wolverhampton High Level. As the proposed new terminal was no longer required, a large goods depot was built in its place. This depot was demolished in the 1990s, and is today the site of a large Royal Mail
sorting office.
which is the LNWR's route) was never particularly successful.
Stations on the line started closing within a few years, and passenger services ceased in 1931. However, the line was kept in its entirety until 1966 as a goods route before the track was lifted in sections, and bridges removed.
The first section removed was that between Bentley and North Walsall on 28 September 1964 due to the construction of the M6 motorway
. By 1977, the track had been lifted between Noose Lane, Willenhall and Birchills Power Station, though the extant sections were still used to serve the industrial areas. The goods only sections of track were removed in their entirety during the 1980s.
In the 1990s, a section of the trackbed was used for the route of the A4124 Wednesfield Way.
. However, these plans are not likely to be brought to fruition for several years.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, 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...
with nearby towns such as Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
and Wednesfield
Wednesfield
Wednesfield lies at , and is located to the northeast of Wolverhampton city centre on the northern fringe of the West Midlands conurbation...
.
The route
The line started at Wolverhampton High LevelWolverhampton railway station
Wolverhampton railway station in Wolverhampton, West Midlands is on the West Coast Main Line. It is served by London Midland, CrossCountry, Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales.-History:...
, and had stations at the following locations:
- Heath TownHeath Town railway stationHeath Town railway station was a station built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876 onwards. It served the Heath Town area of Wolverhampton, and was located just off Grove Street....
- WednesfieldWednesfield railway stationWednesfield railway station was a station built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876 onwards. It served the Wednesfield area of Wolverhampton, and was located near to Neachells Lane....
- Willenhall (Stafford Street)Willenhall Stafford Street railway stationWillenhall Stafford Street railway station was a station built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876 onwards. It served the town of Willenhall, and was located to the north of the town centre...
- Short HeathShort Heath railway stationShort Heath railway station was a station built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876 onwards. It served the area of Short Heath, to the north east of Willenhall, although it was located well to the south of Short Heath itself.The...
- BentleyBentley (W&WR) railway stationBentley railway station was a railway station built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876 onwards. It served the area of Bentley, located between Willenhall and Walsall in the English West Midlands .-References:*...
- North WalsallNorth Walsall railway stationNorth Walsall railway station was a station built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876 onwards...
- WalsallWalsall railway stationWalsall railway station is the principal railway station of Walsall, West Midlands, England and situated in the heart of the town. It is operated by London Midland, who run all of its train services...
The railway opened on 1 November 1872 and was initially operated jointly by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
and the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
. The route was 8 miles long.
However, disagreements between the partners soon appeared, and the railway was bought outright by the London and North Western Railway in 1875. A year later it was sold to the Midland Railway, and was then connected to the Sutton Park Line. This allowed the Midland Railway to have a direct route into Wolverhampton.
Wednesfield Road terminus
In 1878, the running powers for the Midland Railway into Wolverhampton High Level ceased, and so the company decided to build a new terminus on Wednesfield Road, just to the east of Wolverhampton Low LevelWolverhampton Low Level railway station
Wolverhampton Low Level was a railway station on Sun Street, in Springfield, Wolverhampton, England .It was built by the Great Western Railway, on their route from London to Birkenhead via Birmingham...
. This would have led to the unusual situation of having three stations for three different companies next to each other, and an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to allow construction of the new station was passed on 28 June 1877. However, the London and North Western Railway also gained an Act on the same day to allow construction of the "Loop Line" between the Grand Junction Railway
Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
and Wolverhampton High Level (which would allow the LNWR access to Willenhall and Walsall via that route), and to allow the extension of the High Level station itself. This would have caused access problems for both the Low Level station, and the proposed station at Wednesfield Road. Eventually, the extension plan was dropped, and the Midland Railway managed to renegotiate the use of Wolverhampton High Level. As the proposed new terminal was no longer required, a large goods depot was built in its place. This depot was demolished in the 1990s, and is today the site of a large Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
sorting office.
Closure
Passenger numbers on the line were surprisingly low, and the route (by now renamed as the Walsall to Wolverhampton Line, not to be confused with the modern Walsall to Wolverhampton LineWalsall to Wolverhampton Line
The Walsall to Wolverhampton Line is a railway line in the West Midlands, England. It connects the town of Walsall to the city of Wolverhampton. For most of its length, it follows the part of the route of the original Grand Junction Railway....
which is the LNWR's route) was never particularly successful.
Stations on the line started closing within a few years, and passenger services ceased in 1931. However, the line was kept in its entirety until 1966 as a goods route before the track was lifted in sections, and bridges removed.
The first section removed was that between Bentley and North Walsall on 28 September 1964 due to the construction of the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
. By 1977, the track had been lifted between Noose Lane, Willenhall and Birchills Power Station, though the extant sections were still used to serve the industrial areas. The goods only sections of track were removed in their entirety during the 1980s.
In the 1990s, a section of the trackbed was used for the route of the A4124 Wednesfield Way.
Future
It is possible that the line will partially reopen with a proposed route for the Midland MetroMidland Metro
The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...
. However, these plans are not likely to be brought to fruition for several years.