Small Heath railway station serves the areas of
Small Heath
Small Heath is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre.
History
Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman t ...
and
Sparkbrook
Sparkbrook is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, England. It is one of the four wards forming the Hall Green formal district within Birmingham City Council.
Etymology
The area receives its name from Spark Brook, a small stream that ...
in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The station is managed by
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within the West Midlands region as West Midlands Rai ...
, which runs all the services.
History
The former
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
station building, opened in 1863 as Small Heath and Sparkbrook on the main line from to
Birkenhead Woodside
Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station located at Woodside, in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire. It served both local services within Cheshire and long-distance services to southern England, including London.
Background
Birke ...
, is on a bridge over the tracks shared with Golden Hillock Road (the B4145). The
A45 Small Heath Highway runs alongside. To the other side is the site of the former
BSA factory. Nearby are the largely disused sidings which served local industry in the area.
Queen Victoria alighted at the station on 23 March 1887, while making a royal visit to nearby
Small Heath Park and the city of Birmingham.
The station once had four platforms (both in an
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
configuration) in use, following the quadrupling of the line by the Great Western Railway in 1906, but only the western pair are now operational (as these are the only ones that trains can use to reach Moor Street & Snow Hill).
Services
On Mondays to Saturdays, daytime service is generally three trains per hour.
West Midlands Railway
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the Passenger rail franchising in Great Britain, West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within t ...
run services as part of the
Snow Hill Lines.
Northbound, there are three trains per hour to
Birmingham Snow Hill. Trains continue to
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a market town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester, England, Worcester. Located north of the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour and east of the River Severn, in th ...
via and , with 1tph continuing to
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
via .
Southbound, there is one train per hour to
Dorridge
Dorridge is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands (county), England. Historically part of the historic county of Warwickshire, the village is encompassed within the electoral ward of Dorridge and Hockley He ...
via
Solihull
Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
and two trains per hour to
Whitlocks End via
Shirley, with one of the Whitlocks End services extending to via the
North Warwickshire Line
The North Warwickshire Line (also known as the Shakespeare Line) is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It runs from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, now the southern terminus of the line, a ...
.
There is no Sunday service.
London Midland proposed the closure of the ticket office in 2011. This request was denied.
London Midland ticket office closure plans overruled
''BBC News'' article 17 September 2012
References
External links
Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Small Heath railway station
Railway stations in Birmingham, West Midlands
DfT Category E stations
Former Great Western Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1863
Railway stations served by West Midlands Trains
Small Heath, Birmingham
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