Cradley Heath railway station

Cradley Heath
Location
Place	Cradley Heath
Local authority	Sandwell
Operations
Station code	CRA
Managed by	London Midland
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	0.209 million
2005/06 *	0.232 million
2006/07 *	0.242 million
2007/08 *	0.288 million
2008/09 *	0.656 million
History
Opened 1863 (1863)
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Cradley Heath from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Cradley Heath railway station serves the town of Cradley Heath in the West Midlands of England. It is located on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line. The station is managed by London Midland, who provide the majority of train services; there are also occasional services provided by Chiltern Railways.

Cradley Heath is the nearest station to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, and connecting bus services are provided. As a consequence, it is the station with the most Plusbus ticket sales (tickets for both rail travel and the connecting bus journey).^{[citation needed]}

History

The station was opened in 1863 by the Stourbridge Railway, on their line from Stourbridge Junction to Old Hill. This was later taken over by the Great Western Railway, who incorporated it into their line to Birmingham. Historically, the station was known as Cradley.

Tony Rivers of Nertherton, Dudley saved a woman who was trapped on the line at the station and was subsequently awarded the George Medal.

The present station buildings date from the 1980s.

Services

During Monday to Saturday daytimes, there are six trains per hour in each direction, operated by London Midland, between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stourbridge Junction. Many of these continue beyond Stourbridge to Kidderminster, Worcester Foregate Street or Great Malvern, and beyond Birmingham to Whitlocks End, Stratford-upon-Avon, Dorridge or Leamington Spa. During the evenings and on Sundays, there are typically two trains per hour.

There are also occasional trains during peak periods to/from London Marylebone, provided by Chiltern Railways.

Bus Interchange

Alongside the Rail Station, there is a 5 stand bus interchange which opened during the 1980s. The bus station is owned and operated by Centro who charges operators for the usage.

Of all the services stopping here, only 3 terminate here. These being routes 124, 224 and 404A. Only two bus services serving Cradley Heath town centre do not stop/terminate here.

Stand A alongside Stand B have services terminating/travelling via the Merry Hill Shopping Centre except the 214 which returns to Cradley Heath and Stand C, Stand D and Stand E typically have services returning to Cradley Heath.

External links

• Train times and station information for Cradley Heath railway station from National Rail
• Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Cradley Heath station

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Old Hill		London Midland Leamington-Worcester		Lye
Old Hill		Chiltern Railways London-Kidderminster		Lye

Coordinates: 52°28′12″N 2°05′24″W / 52.470°N 2.090°W / 52.470; -2.090