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Redditch railway station

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Railway station in Worcestershire, England

RedditchNational Rail
General information
LocationRedditch, Worcestershire,
England
Grid referenceSP038675
Managed byWest Midlands Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeRDC
ClassificationDfT category D
Key dates
18 September 1859Line and station opened
4 May 1868Station relocated for opening of Evesham and Redditch Railway
1962Passenger services south of Redditch suspended
7 February 1972Station relocated
5 October 1992Station relocated
Passengers
2019/20Decrease 1.002 million
2020/21Decrease 0.210 million
2021/22Increase 0.581 million
2022/23Increase 0.685 million
2023/24Increase 0.848 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Redditch railway station serves the town of Redditch, North Worcestershire, England. It is the southern terminus of the Cross-City Line 14.5 miles (23 km) south of Birmingham New Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains. Redditch station sits at the end of a single track branch line from Barnt Green which forms part of the Cross-City Line. The line used to continue south to Ashchurch and also Evesham but this was closed in the 1960s.

History

In July 1858 the Redditch Railway Act authorised a line to link Redditch with the Midland Railway's Birmingham and Gloucester line at Barnt Green. The Redditch Railway opened on 18 September 1859 but was operated from the start by the Midland Railway.

The second Redditch station in the 1900s

In 1868 the Evesham and Redditch Railway built a line south from Redditch through Evesham to a junction at Ashchurch. There were intermediate stations between Redditch and Evesham at Studley and Astwood Bank, Coughton, Alcester, Wixford, Broom Junction (for the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway), Salford Priors, and Harvington.

British Railways (BR) closed the line south of Alcester on 29 September 1962 after suspending the passenger service between Redditch and Evesham due to poor track condition. Freight services continued between Redditch and Alcester until 1964 when BR closed the whole line south of Redditch. The remaining line from Redditch to Barnt Green was nearly closed under the Beeching Axe, which would have severed the town from the railway network entirely. But a strong campaign by local residents and local MPs managed to save it. However, by the late 1960s, services to Redditch had been cut to the bare minimum with just four daily trains to and from Birmingham. This persisted until 1980, when an hourly service was extended to Redditch on the newly upgraded Cross-City Line. This was upgraded to half-hourly in 1989.

The station has been relocated three times, on 4 May 1868, 7 February 1972 and 5 October 1992. The movement of the station was to give way to redevelopment in the town centre and the building of a new bus station. The most recent rebuilding of the station in 1992 coincided with the electrification of the Cross-City Line. The first station was in Clive Road when the original Redditch Railway was opened in 1859. The station moved to the site that is now the bus station when the railway was extended to Evesham in 1868.

Some of the former goods yard that was on Pound Meadow is now the car park to current station but most of the yard has been redeveloped into housing and a hotel.

The single track from Barnt Green restricted the number of trains that could run to Redditch to two per hour. In November 2013 a scheme was approved to construct a new passing loop at Alvechurch to allow the service to be increased to three trains per hour. The line between Barnt Green and Redditch was closed for eight weeks for the works to be carried out, and was reopened on 1 September 2014. The improved service began in December 2014. Though the service has since reverted to half-hourly, the loop remains in use.

Facilities

The station is staffed and has a booking office as well as a ticket machine. Step-free access is available for wheelchair users. There is also a shop available for passengers selling newspapers, food and drinks. Train running information is offered via digital CIS displays, automated announcements, timetable poster boards and a customer help point.

Services

A London Midland branded Class 323 at Reddich in 2015.

West Midlands Railway serve the station every 30 minutes on the Cross-City Line to Four Oaks via University, Birmingham New Street and Sutton Coldfield. On Sundays a half hourly service runs through to Lichfield Trent Valley calling at all stations en route.

Services were operated using Class 323 Electric multiple units (EMUs) until September 2024 and are currently operated by Class 730 EMUs.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
AlvechurchWest Midlands RailwayLichfield – Four Oaks – Birmingham – Redditch
Cross-City Line
Terminus
Historical railways
AlvechurchLine and station openMidland RailwayEvesham loop lineStudley and Astwood BankLine and station closed

References

  1. Station facilities for Redditch
  2. "Disused Stations - Redditch"Disused Stations - Site Record; Retrieved 31 May 2016
  3. "Milestone marks the end of a railway era". Redditch Standard. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  4. "Redditch Railway Stations". Redditch MRC. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  5. "Major transport infrastructure schemes given green light". Planning Resource. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  6. "Investing in the Midlands, December 2011". Rail Professional Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  7. Connie Osborne (1 September 2014). "Commuters back on track with railway opening". Redditch Standard. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  8. "London Midland reveals new timetable and additional seating across network". birminghammail.co.uk. Birmingham Mail. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  9. Redditch station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  10. "Train timetables and schedules | Redditch". West Midlands Railway.
  11. "The Cross City Line: Lichfield Trent Valley – Four Oaks – Sutton Coldfield – Birmingham – University – Bromsgrove / Redditch | Timetable from Sunday 15 December 2024 until 17 May 2025". West Midlands Railway.
  12. "Class 323 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
  13. "Class 730 fleet". West Midlands Railway.

Bibliography

External links

Railway lines in Worcestershire
Legend
Kidderminster line
to Birmingham Snow Hill
Cross-City Line
to Birmingham New Street
Hagley
Birmingham–Stratford line
to Birmingham Moor Street
Wythall
Blakedown
Birmingham–Stratford line
to Stratford-upon-Avon
Barnt Green
Kidderminster Town Severn Valley Railway Kidderminster
Blackwell Alvechurch
Foley Park Halt Lickey Incline
Bewdley Tunnel Redditch
Rifle Range Halt
Stourport-on-Severn
Gloucester loop line
via Alcester
Hartlebury Bromsgrove
Bewdley Severn Valley Railway Cutnall Green Halt
Stoke Works
Northwood Halt Severn Valley Railway Droitwich Spa Junction
Wyre Forest Droitwich Spa
Arley Severn Valley Railway
Newnham Bridge Fernhill Heath
Severn Valley Railway
to Bridgnorth
Blackpole Halt
Easton Court Astwood Halt
Tenbury and Bewdley Railway
to Woofferton
Droitwich Road
Worcester Tunnel Junction Dunhampstead
Worcester TMD Oddingley
Spetchley
Vinegar works Worcester Shrub Hill
Worcester Foregate Street Norton
Worcestershire Parkway
Stoulton
former freight branch Pershore
River Severn Abbot's Wood Junction
Wyre Halt
Henwick Fladbury
Boughton Halt Wadborough
Rushwick Halt Defford
Leigh Court Eckington
Knightwick Bredon
Bransford Road
Gloucester loop line
via Alcester
Suckley Harvington
Worcester, Bromyard & Leominster Rly
to Leominster
Evesham
Newland Halt Bengeworth
Malvern Link Hinton
Great Malvern Ashton-under-Hill
Malvern Hanley Road Beckford
Upton-on-Severn Littleton and Badsey
Ripple Honeybourne
Malvern Wells
Cotswold Line
to Hereford
Honeybourne Line
to Stratford-upon-Avon
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
Cotswold Line
to Oxford
Cross Country Route
to Cheltenham Spa
Broadway Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Rly
to Cheltenham Racecourse
Worcestershire Transport in Worcestershire
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52°18′22″N 1°56′42″W / 52.306°N 1.945°W / 52.306; -1.945

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