Darlaston James Bridge | |
|---|---|
) Site of former station between Walsall Rd and Kendricks Rd | |
| Location | Darlaston, Metropolitan Borough of Walsall England |
| Coordinates | 52°34′30″N 2°01′08″W / 52.5751°N 2.0188°W |
| Grid reference | SO988974 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Grand Junction Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1837 | Opened[1] |
| 1965 | Closed[1] |
Darlaston James Bridge railway station was a station built on the Grand Junction Railway in 1837,[2] serving the James Bridge area in the east of the town centre of Darlaston, near the junction of Walsall Road and Bentley Mill Way.
Darlaston Loop Line
The station was also known simply as Darlaston, which can be confused with the LNWR station located in the town centre on the Darlaston Loop off the South Staffordshire Line. Trains from the station ran to the now disused Wednesbury Town railway station via the former Wood Green railway station. The station closed in the late 1800s to passengers and the line in the late 1960s to freight traffic and diverted services.
Closure
The station closed in 1965,[1] and there is little evidence of the existence at the site. The lines through the station are in use today as part of the Walsall to Wolverhampton Line.
Reopening
Andy Street pledged in his mayoral campaign to reopen the station, however there is still no timeline.[3]
In September 2017, the West Midlands Combined Authority proposed that the station along with Willenhall Bilston Street would reopen by 2027 as part of a £4 billion transport plan.[4][5]
Willenhall was awarded backing for a reopening of a railway station on the Walsall-Wolverhampton Line in March 2018.. In August 2018, Darlaston was also awarded a new station near Cemetery Road which proposed to be located north of Kendricks Road directly adjacent to the old station site.[6]
Despite press reports that planning applications for the two stations were formally submitted in March 2020, this did not in fact happen until July.[7][8] Planning permission was granted in October 2020 and the stations are planned to open in 2023.[9]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willenhall Bilston Street | London and North Western Railway Walsall to Wolverhampton Line | Pleck | ||
| Grand Junction Railway to Walsall Line | Wood Green |
References
- ^ a b c "Darlaston (James Bridge) Station". Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Drake, James (1838). Drake’s Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
- ^ http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/walsall-stourbridge-trains-run-again-12592078
- ^ "£4 billion of transport infrastructure over coming decade". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan". Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://planning.walsall.gov.uk/swift/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=20/0746&backURL=%253Ca%2520href%253Dwphappcriteria.display%253ESearch%2520Criteria%253C%252Fa%253E%20%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%27wphappsearchres.displayResultsURL%3FResultID%3D1403084%2526StartIndex%3D1%2526SortOrder%3DAPNID%3Aasc%2526DispResultsAs%3Dwphappsresweek1%2526BackURL%3D%253Ca%2520href%253Dwphappcriteria.display%253ESearch%2520Criteria%253C%252Fa%253E%27%3ESearch%20Results%3C%2Fa%3E
- ^ "Reopening of Darlaston and Willenhall train stations moves closer". Express and Star. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Two new Black Country railway stations receive planning approval".