
Stambermill ( Stourbridge ) Viaduct is a viaduct situated in
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...
,
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Ro ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. It was constructed in 1850 to carry the
Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway across the
River Stour, and it carried passenger trains until 1964. It is still in use for goods trains, as the railway continues on to the
Round Oak Steel Terminal
Round Oak Steel Terminal is a railway freight terminal dealing in steel from the Round Oak Steel Works until 1982 and from other sources thereafter, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England managed by Tata Steel Europe. ...
at
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and ward (division), electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, 2.5 miles south of Dudley and 2 miles north of Stourbridge. Part of the Black Country and in a h ...
(trains have not travelled beyond that point since 1993). Freight trains can still be seen passing over the viaduct.
A reopening of the
South Staffordshire Line between Dudley and Walsall, is expected to be ready by 2023, with
West Midlands Metro
The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmi ...
trams sharing the line with freight trains. A business plan for the reopening of the line was submitted to Network Rail in March 2011. In January 2012, plans surfaced to run a passenger service between
Stourbridge Junction
Stourbridge Junction is one of two railway stations serving the town of Stourbridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It lies on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line and is the junction for the ...
and Brierley Hill, with stations being re-opened along the route, including
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and ward (division), electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, 2.5 miles south of Dudley and 2 miles north of Stourbridge. Part of the Black Country and in a h ...
. The service would be operated by railcars built by
Parry People Movers
Parry People Movers Ltd. (PPM) is a British company manufacturing lightweight trams and railcars that use flywheel energy storage (FES) to store energy for traction, allowing electric systems to operate without overhead wires or third rails, an ...
, who built the
Class 139 units which run the
Stourbridge Town service.
The viaduct was subject to six weeks of maintenance and improvement works in September 2013.
References
{{Coord, 52.4574, -2.1342, type:landmark_region:GB-DUD, display=title
Bridges in the West Midlands (county)
Rail transport in Dudley
Bridges completed in 1850
Stourbridge