Bescot Stadium railway station
Bescot Stadium railway station serves the Bescot area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. (The station is located in the borough of Sandwell, although it can only be reached from within the borough of Walsall.) The station, and all trains serving it are operated by West Midlands Railway with some services being operated by London Northwestern Railway.
Bescot Stadium  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Bescot |
| Local authority | Sandwell |
| Coordinates | 52.562°N 1.991°W |
| Grid reference | SP007961 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | BSC |
| Managed by | West Midlands Railway |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| DfT category | E |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2014/15 |  |
| 2015/16 |  |
| 2016/17 | |
| 2017/18 | |
| 2018/19 | |
| Passenger Transport Executive | |
| PTE | Transport for West Midlands |
| Zone | 4 |
| History | |
| 1837 | Opened |
| 2007 | Rebuilt |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Bescot Stadium from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
History
The station was opened as Bescot Bridge[1]:19 in 1837 by the Grand Junction Railway but was later renamed Bescot.
The line through the station was electrified in 1966 as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme.[2] The actual energization of the line from Coventry to Walsall through Aston took place on 15 August 1966.[3]
It was renamed in Bescot Stadium in 1990 in order to serve Bescot Stadium, the newly built home of Walsall Football Club.
The station was re-opened on 11 September 2007 after a short period where it was closed for refurbishment. Whilst closed, no services called at the station, but trains continued to pass through.
Services
Bescot Stadium station is on the Walsall Line between Birmingham New Street and Walsall. The typical Monday-Saturday daytime service sees three trains per hour in each direction. Southbound via Birmingham New Street there is one service per hour to London Euston and two stopping services per hour to Wolverhampton; with some services extended to/from Shrewsbury. Northbound, three trains per hour operate to Walsall with one continuing to Rugeley Trent Valley.[4]
On Sundays and during the evenings, services are reduced.
Services are usually operated by Class 350 EMU or Class 323 EMU. Services to/from Shrewsbury are operated using Class 170 DMU.
The station footbridge offers views of Bescot Yard, and its freight movements. Bescot TMD is adjacent to the station.
Access to the station is via Bescot Crescent (where there is a car park) and then a footpath which passes underneath the M6 motorway and over the River Tame, then an overbridge.
London Midland proposed the closure of the ticket office, but this request was overruled in September 2012 by the Transport Minister.[5]
References
- Drake, James (1838). Drake’s Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
- Nock, O.S. (1966). Britain's New Railway. London: Ian Allan. pp. 147–159.
- Gillham, J.C. (1988). The Age of the Electric Train - Electric trains in Britain since 1883. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 169.
- "West Midlands Railway - Timetable - Chase Line" (PDF).
- "London Midland ticket office closure plans overruled"BBC News article 17 September 2012
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bescot railway station. |
- Train times and station information for Bescot Stadium railway station from National Rail
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Bescot Stadium railway station
| Preceding station | |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands Railway Chase Line | ||||
| West Midlands Railway Wolverhampton-Walsall | ||||
| London Northwestern Railway London-Rugeley via Birmingham |