Willenhall Bilston Street railway station
Willenhall Bilston Street | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Site of former station | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Willenhall, Metropolitan Borough of Walsall England | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°34′56″N 2°03′12″W / 52.5822°N 2.0534°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SO964982 | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Open | ||||
| Station code | WIA[1] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Grand Junction Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1837 | Opened as Willenhall Bilston Street[2] | ||||
| 1965 | Closed[2] | ||||
| 19 March 2026 | Reopened as Willenhall | ||||
| |||||
Willenhall Bilston Street railway station was a station built on the Grand Junction Railway in 1837.[3]: 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.
Closed in 1965, the station reopened on 19 March 2026.[4]
Reopening
There were proposals within the West Midlands Local Transport plan to reopen the station for passenger traffic, but these were shelved. In December 2016, as part of the New Station Fund 2 project, the West Midlands Combined Authority put in proposals to reopen the station to passenger services.[5][6][7]
In September 2017, the West Midlands Combined Authority proposed reopening the station by 2024 as part of the region's £4 billion transport plan, along with Darlaston.[8][9]
Plans for the new station were published in March 2018, with the station proposed to be located beyond Bilston Street, west of the previous site.[10] Funding for the project was confirmed by Transport Minister Chris Grayling.[11]
The planning applications for the station was formally submitted in March 2020 and was granted permission in October 2020.[12][13] The station was planned to reopen to passengers in 2024.[14][15] After delays during construction, the station reopened on 19 March 2026.[4]
The station currently receives one train per hour:
- 1tph to Shrewsbury via Wolverhampton
- 1tph to Birmingham New Street via Tame Bridge Parkway.
Proposed future services include:
- 1tph to Wolverhampton
- 1tph to Walsall
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton | West Midlands Railway Wolverhampton – Walsall |
Darlaston | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Portobello | Walsall to Wolverhampton Line earlier Grand Junction Railway |
Darlaston James Bridge | ||
References
- ^ Real Time Trains https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W06309/2026-03-27/detailed
- ^ a b "Willenhall Bilston Street Station". Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Drake, James (1974) [1838]. Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
- ^ a b "Black Country towns' trains return after 60 years". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "£4 billion of transport infrastructure over coming decade". West Midlands Combined Authority. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan". Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "First look at plans for two new Black Country railway stations". West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Two new Black Country railway stations receive planning approval".
- ^ "Willenhall and Darlaston stations". West Midlands Rail Executive. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022.
- ^ Parkes, Thomas (8 April 2023). "Ground conditions still a 'significant risk' to new £55m rail stations - bosses". Express and Star. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023.
External links