Willenhall Bilston Street railway station
Willenhall Bilston Street railway station was a station built on the Grand Junction Railway in 1837.[2]:22 It served the town of Willenhall, and was located just to the south of the town centre. It was one of two railway stations in the town - the other being Willenhall Stafford Street.
Willenhall Bilston Street | |
---|---|
Site of former station | |
Location | |
Place | Willenhall |
Area | Metropolitan Borough of Walsall |
Coordinates | 52.5822°N 2.0534°W |
Grid reference | SO964982 |
Operations | |
Original company | Grand Junction Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Platforms | 2 |
History | |
1837 | Opened[1] |
1965 | Closed[1] |
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
Closure
The station closed in 1965,[1] and there is little evidence of the existence at the site. The lines through the station are in use today as part of the Walsall to Wolverhampton Line.
Potential reopening
There were proposals within the West Midlands Local Transport plan to reopen the station for passenger traffic, but these have been shelved. In December 2016 as part of the New Station Fund 2 project the West Midlands County Council put proposals in to reopen the station to passenger services.[3][4][5] Andy Street pledged in his mayoral campaign to reopen the station, however there is still no timeline.[6]
In September 2017, the West Midlands Combined Authority proposed that the station along with Darlaston James Bridge would reopen by 2027 as part of a £4 billion transport plan.[7][8]
In March 2018, the station was awarded funding to reopen and would be the first time Willenhall has had a rail connection in over 40 years. Transport minister Chris Grayling has confirmed it will reopen.[9]
It is currently planned that the station will reopen to passengers in December 2021.[10]
The new station will now be constructed on the Wolverhampton side of Bilston Street.
Planning applications for the two stations were formally submitted in March 2020.[11]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Portobello | Walsall to Wolverhampton Line earlier Grand Junction Railway |
Darlaston James Bridge |
References
- "Willenhall Bilston Street Station". Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- Drake, James (1838). Drake’s Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
- "New Stations Fund (second round)". Proposed Railway Schemes. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- "NSF bid submitted for Willenhall". Proposed Railway Schemes. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- "New railway station for Willenhall in Walsall?". Walsall Advertiser. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/walsall-stourbridge-trains-run-again-12592078
- "£4 billion of transport infrastructure over coming decade". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- "West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan". Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- Preece, Ashley. "Green light for new train station between Walsall and Wolverhampton". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- "Reopening of Darlaston and Willenhall train stations moves closer". Express and Star. Retrieved 11 March 2020.