Walsall railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Walsall
manager = London Midland


code = WSL
locale = Walsall
borough = Walsall
pte = West Midlands
zone = 4
usage0405 = 0.547
platforms = 3
years = 1849
1884
1923
1980
events = Opened
Rebuilt

Walsall 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 main entrance is situated inside the Saddlers Shopping Centre.

Overview

Services from the station go to Birmingham New Street 17 km (10¾ miles) south on the Walsall Line, (operated on behalf of Centro), to Cannock, Rugeley and Stafford (the Chase Line), and to Wolverhampton.

As part of its West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy, the Strategic Rail Authority has proposed that the service to Wolverhampton be withdrawn, proposing that passengers should use local bus services instead. However, Centro has guaranteed funding for the Walsall to Wolverhampton service until Winter 2008 instead of originally being 2007, and has funded an extra morning service to Wolverhampton to start with the 2005-2006 winter timetable.

The station has three platforms:
*Platform 1: operating northbound services to Rugeley and Stafford;
*Platform 2: operating southbound, semi-fast services from Stafford to Birmingham New Street;
*Platform 3: (a terminus platform) operating local services to Birmingham New Street and to Wellington via Wolverhampton. Platforms 2 and 3 have been recently refurbished, with a new waiting room added and enigmatic "poetry" on the walls of the stairs to the platforms. The mainline platforms are not electrified, but platform 3 (and the through line next to it) are electrified to 25kV AC Overhead power. This electrification ends for both tracks at the northern end of the platforms.

Services

Monday to Saturday daytimes four trains per hour go southbound to Birmingham New Street (two fast and two stopping services) with an hourly service northbound to Stafford which becomes half hourly at peak times on weekdays although the aditional trains only go as far as either Hednesford or Rugeley Trent Valley. On Weekdays, some Walsall - Birmingham stopping trains extend on to Birmingham International.

Monday to Saturday evenings there is an houlry stopping service in each direction between Birmingham and Hednesford. Sundays there are two trains per hour to Birmingham (one fast and one stopping) and an hourly service northbound to Rugeley Trent Valley.

There is also an hourly service all day every day to Wolverhampton.

Future

In December 2008 some services from Walsall will be axed. The hourly service to Stafford will terminate at Rugeley Trent Valley where passengers will be able to connect with a new London - Crewe stopping service for destination further north. The Walsall - Wolverhampton service will be axed and weekday services to Birmingham International will terminate at Birmingham New Street.

The Sutton Park Line could re-open to passengers between Walsall and Sutton Park with a station at Aldridge as early as 2017. A feasibility study on this proposal is due to be published by Birmingham City Council in November 2008.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.walsall.gov.uk/history_of_walsall_s_train_station.htm History of Walsall's train station]
* [http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/walsallrail/ Petition to save Walsall-Wolverhampton service]

References

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