Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line

The Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line is a commuter railway line from Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester via Stourbridge and Kidderminster.

It is one of the Snow Hill Lines

It is not electrified, and services are operated by Class 150 and Class 168 diesel multiple units.

Places served

The line serves the following places:
*Birmingham Snow Hill
*Jewellery Quarter
*The Hawthorns
*Smethwick
*Langley Green
*Rowley Regis
*Old Hill
*Cradley Heath
*Lye
*Stourbridge
*Hagley
*Blakedown
*Kidderminster
*Hartlebury
*Droitwich Spa
*Worcester

Frequencies

*6 tph to from B'ham to Stourbridge;
*4 tph continue to Kidderminster
*2 tph continue to Worcester

Passenger services are provided by London Midland between Birmingham and Worcester and beyond, and by Chiltern Railways between Birmingham and Kidderminster only. The latter runs services to London Marylebone in the morning rush hour, which start from Kidderminster rather than Snow Hill, and reverse journeys during the evening.

A triangular junction at Worcester allows a variety of service patterns (see map). Some trains terminate at Shrub Hill, whereas some reverse there before going to Foregate Street. Other trains take the direct curve to Foregate Street avoiding Shrub Hill. Some trains continue beyond Foregate Street to Great Malvern.

Trains along this route occasionally also serviced Birmingham New Street, where they terminated. This link was axed, to much local consternation. Now passengers have to struggle with luggage across Birmingham City centre, or change at Galton Bridge.

Two other services are timetabled to use the line each day - one CrossCountry service to Birmingham New Street (via Smethwick Junction and Galton Junction) in the morning and a reverse service in the evening. Neither of these call at any of the stations along the route. During congestion or mainly during engineering works, the line sees much more frequent service as a diversionary route. The line from Worcester Shrub Hill continues to Cheltenham Spa railway station, which is the next calling point for most Cross Country services, and thus offers a convenient alternative when the Lickey Incline is closed.

Several charter trains can often be seen on the line due to the existence of the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster, which has a mainline connection.

Line Speeds

Between Worcester and Kidderminster Viaduct, the line speed is 75 mph (top speed of the Class 150 units) except in the following places:
*Droitwich area - 65 mph
*Droitwich Junction - 40 mph
*Worcester Tunnel Junction - 25 mph
*Curve near Foregate Street station - 15 mph
*Rest of Worcester area - 40 mph

From the viaduct to Birmingham, line speed is generally 60 mph, except:

*Stourbridge North Junction - 15 mph
*Curve near Cradley Heath to Old Hill - 50 mph
*Old Hill to Rowley Regis - 40 mph
*Galton Junction - 30 mph
*The Hawthorns station - 50 mph

Line speed then gradually drops around the Jewellery Quarter area for approach to Snow Hill. In the tunnel between Snow Hill and Moor Street line speed is 20 mph.

External links

* [http://www.stourbridgelineusergroup.info/stations.htm Stourbridge Line User Group - guide to stations]