HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sutton Coldfield is the main
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
for the town of
Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
, in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, West Midlands, England. It is a stop on the Cross-City Line between / and ; it is located north-east of . The station is of
Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...
, with red brick and elaborate ceilings and pillars. One platform is sheltered while the other is open air. The main building itself is built on a
hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...
, with a
tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...
running underneath it. It is accessed via Station Street and Railway Road.


History

The station was constructed in 1862, as the northern terminus of the line from
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
built by the
London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...
. In 1884, the line was extended north to Lichfield and, after the grouping of railway companies in 1923, it came under the control of the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...
. The station was the location of the Sutton Coldfield train disaster on 23 January 1955, when an express from York to Bristol travelling at excessive speed derailed. A memorial to the 17 people who died was unveiled in the station concourse on 23 January 2016. From 1978, the station became one of those served by the new Cross-City Line, sponsored by the
West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) was the Passenger transport executive, public body responsible for public transport in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom from 1969 until 2 ...
. As part of that scheme, there were proposals to demolish the station and rebuild it, as happened to many of the other stations on the line. However, local campaigning saved it.


Refurbishment

Following the provision of a large sum of money in 2003, the station underwent a programme of refurbishment. Many new facilities were provided and repair work was undertaken to the station building. The southbound platform was repainted and a former wooden ticket office removed because it had become a target for
vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...
and concerns were raised about its
fire safety Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent wikt:ignition, the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread a ...
. A new ticket
vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or payment is otherwise m ...
was placed on the platform which reduced queues at the ticket office in the main building. A station shop and a new waiting room were provided. On the northbound platform, the small waiting room was replaced with new seats.
Passenger information system A passenger information system, or passenger information display system, is an automated system for supplying users of public transport with information about the nature and the state of a public transport service through visual, voice or other m ...
boards were also installed on both platforms which provides passengers with up-to-the-minute information on train times. The interior of the station was also repainted and the ticket office in the main building was extended.


Services

The station is served 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 ...
with local Transport for West Midlands-branded ''Cross-City'' services, operated using
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s. The off-peak service pattern is as follows: Mondays to Saturdays: * 4 tph (trains per hour) northbound to , departing from platform 1; of which: ** 2tph continue to , via . * 4tph southbound to , via and , departing from platform 2; of which: ** 2 tph continue to via , calling at all stations. ** 2 tph continue to calling at all stations except and 1 tph does not call at . Sundays: * 2 tph northbound to Lichfield Trent Valley. * 2 tph southbound to Redditch. Services on Sundays call at all stations between Lichfield T.V. and Redditch. The average journey time to Birmingham New Street is around 21 minutes.


References


Citations


Sources

* ''An Historical Survey Of Selected LMS Stations Vol. One'' Dr R Preston and R Powell Hendry. Oxford Pub. Co. (1982, Reprinted in 2001)


External links


Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Sutton Coldfield railway station



BBC News article on the January 1955 accident
{{West Midlands railway stations, open Sutton Coldfield Railway stations in Birmingham, West Midlands DfT Category D stations Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1862 Railway stations served by West Midlands Trains 1862 establishments in England