Lichfield City railway station

Lichfield City is one of two railway stations serving the city of Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. It is situated in the city-centre, and is towards the northern end of the Cross-City Line 17 1⁄4 miles (27.8 km) northeast of Birmingham New Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Railway. The other station serving Lichfield is Lichfield Trent Valley, on the city outskirts.

"Lichfield railway station" redirects here. For the disused station in Hampshire, see Litchfield railway station.

Lichfield City
Location
PlaceLichfield
Local authorityLichfield
Grid referenceSK119091
Operations
Station codeLIC
Managed byWest Midlands Trains
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryD
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 0.685 million
2015/16 0.680 million
2016/17 0.712 million
2017/18 0.799 million
2018/19 0.862 million
History
Key datesOpened 1849 (1849)
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Lichfield City from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

Early years
Lichfield City Station in 1849

The station opened in 1849, on the South Staffordshire Railway's line from Lichfield Trent Valley to Walsall and Dudley. This later became part of the London and North Western Railway. The architect for the South Staffordshire Railway was Mr Edward Adams of London and the station building built in 1849 was a modest creation in a Tudor style, with tall gables and chimneys.[1] Services to Birmingham began in 1884, when a branch to Sutton Coldfield opened, connecting with an earlier LNWR line. This original station was demolished in 1882 when the present one was built to accommodate these additional services. The original station stood further east than the present one. It was approached from the city by a path which ran across Levett's Field and up some brick steps in front of the station, these can still be seen near the present Fire Station.[1]

Recent history
The station platform

Passenger trains northwards via Trent Valley station to Burton upon Trent ceased in January 1965, along with trains to Walsall so Lichfield City became the northern terminus of the line from Birmingham. This later became part of the Cross-City Line. In 1988 under British Rail, the line was extended back to Trent Valley. Lichfield City has retained considerable character.[2]

The line to Walsall subsequently closed to all traffic in March 1984, except for the portion as far as Anglesey sidings (near Hammerwich), which was retained to serve a Charringtons oil terminal. Traffic from there ceased in 2002 and the line has been disused since then (though the track remains intact).

In June 1990 the station was in the news after a trainee soldier, William Robert Davies, aged 19, was shot and killed, and two other new recruits were wounded, whilst they were awaiting a train to Birmingham. They had been shot by two IRA gunmen.[3] A plaque commemorating the incident is situated in the station.

The South Staffordshire Line

The South Staffordshire Line from Lichfield Trent Valley to Burton on Trent is often used for diversions (when the route via Tamworth is closed for engineering work), as well as for occasional freight trains and empty stock transfers.

In a strategy which has been conducted by the West Midlands Combined Authority. The line from Walsall to Lichfield has been identified as a disused rail corridor and this means that it is a long term ambition to reopen the line from Walsall to Lichfield. As either a rail/light rail corridor, which considers the line to be reopened for either rail or tram trains. There is also aspirations to reconnect the disused line at Wednesbury to Walsall as either rail or tram.[4]

Consideration is also being given to the reintroduction of trains to Burton and Derby. Services north of Lichfield City currently terminate at Lichfield Trent Valley, with the line beyond only used by freight, access to the Barton train maintenance depot, occasional cross country services and as a diversionary route. A short term option may be a diesel shuttle service with longer term ambitions to electrify the line and provide stations at Barton Under Needwood and Alrewas.[5]

Facilities

The station has a staffed ticket office, located at street level on Station Road. This is open throughout the week from early morning until mid-evening. A self-service ticket machine is also provided in the ticket hall for use when the ticket office is closed or for collecting pre-paid tickets. At platform level, there are toilets and a waiting room. Customer help points, CIS displays and automated announcements provide train running information. Step-free access is available to both the ticket hall and platforms (the latter via lift from the subway).[6]

Bridge

Immediately adjacent to the station is a bridge which carries the rail lines over the busy A51. The bridge is frequently struck by heavy goods traffic on the road below, forcing rail traffic to and from Shenstone to reduce speed over the bridge as a safety precaution. The bridge is the fourth most struck bridge in the country.[7]

Services

Monday-Saturday

Southbound

  • 2 trains per hour (tph) to Redditch, of which:
    • One starts here calling at all stations except Shenstone and Duddeston
    • One from Lichfield Trent Valley calling at all stations except Duddeston
  • 2 tph to Bromsgrove, of which:
    • One starts here calling at all stations except Shenstone and Duddeston
    • One from Lichfield Trent Valley calling at all stations except Duddeston

Northbound

Sunday

On Sundays, there are two trains per hour southbound to Redditch, and two per hour northbound to Lichfield Trent Valley.

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References
  1. Clayton, Howard (1981), Cathedral City: A Look at Victorian Lichfield, Abottsford Publishing, p. 46, ISBN 978-0-9503563-1-0
  2. Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Lichfield City station
  3. D. McKittrick et al, Lost Lives - the stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland troubles. Mainstream Publishing 2007.
  4. "MOVEMENT FOR GROWTH: 2026 Delivery Plan for Transport, Annex 1 - Corridors" (PDF). pp. 26, 28, 34. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  5. "Move to reopen rail line between Burton and Lichfield to passengers". derbytelegraph. 9 May 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  6. Lichfield City station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  7. Notorious railway bridge in Upper St John Street, Lichfield, is hit again - during live radio reportBirmingham Mail
  8. GB eNRT May 2018 Edition, Table 69 (Network Rail)
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Lichfield Trent Valley   West Midlands Railway
Cross-City Line		   Shenstone
Terminus    
Historical railways
Line and station open
London and North Western Railway
South Staffordshire Line
Line and station closed

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