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Willenhall railway station

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Willenhall
National Rail
BERJAYA
New station
General information
LocationWillenhall, Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
England
Coordinates52°34′56″N 2°03′12″W / 52.5822°N 2.0534°W / 52.5822; -2.0534
Grid referenceSO964982
LineWalsall-Wolverhampton line
Platforms2
Other information
StatusOpen
Station codeWIA[1]
History
Original companyGrand Junction Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1837Opened as Willenhall Bilston Street[2]
1965Closed[2]
19 March 2026Reopened as Willenhall
Location
Map

Willenhall is a railway station on the Walsall–Wolverhampton line, serving trains running between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street. The station serves the town of Willenhall, in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. It opened on 19 March 2026 and replaces a station that previously served the town from 1837 to 1965.[3]

History

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The original station was opened as Willenhall Bilston Street by the Grand Junction Railway in 1837.[4]: 22  It was located east of the current station, on the opposite side of Bilston Street. It was one of two railway stations serving Willenhall, the other being Willenhall Stafford Street. The station was closed in 1965.

Reopening

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From 1998, Central Trains operated a passenger service between Walsall and Wolverhampton on the line through the closed Willenhall station. Centro proposed reopening Willenhall to increase passenger numbers on the service, but the service ceased operation in 2008 due to the withdrawal of government funding.

In November 2016, the West Midlands Combined Authority submitted a bid to the second round of the New Stations Fund for funding to reopen the station.[5][6][7] The bid, which would have provided up to 75% of construction costs for the project, was unsuccessful.

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 on Bilston Street, west of the former station site.[10] Funding for the project was confirmed by Transport Minister Chris Grayling.[11]

The planning application 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.[3]

Services

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Weekday and Saturday services operate hourly between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street. There is no service on Sundays. All services are operated by West Midlands Railway.[16]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Wolverhampton   West Midlands Railway
Walsall-Wolverhampton line		   Darlaston
Disused railways
Portobello   Walsall to Wolverhampton Line
earlier Grand Junction Railway		   Darlaston James Bridge

References

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  1. ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Willenhall Bilston Street Station". Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Black Country towns' trains return after 60 years". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  4. ↑ Drake, James (1974) [1838]. Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
  5. ↑ "New Stations Fund (second round)". Proposed Railway Schemes. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "NSF bid submitted for Willenhall". Proposed Railway Schemes. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "New railway station for Willenhall in Walsall?". Walsall Advertiser. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017. [permanent dead link]
  8. ↑ "£4 billion of transport infrastructure over coming decade". West Midlands Combined Authority. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan". Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "First look at plans for two new Black Country railway stations". West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Preece, Ashley. "Green light for new train station between Walsall and Wolverhampton". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Reopening of Darlaston and Willenhall train stations moves closer". Express and Star. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "Two new Black Country railway stations receive planning approval".
  14. ↑ "Willenhall and Darlaston stations". West Midlands Rail Executive. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Table 075 (Network Rail)
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