Bournville railway station
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2010) |
Bournville  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bournville station looking north, alongside theWorcester and Birmingham Canal. | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Bournville,Birmingham England | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°25′37″N1°55′34″W/ 52.427°N 1.926°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SP050810 | ||||
| Managed by | West Midlands Railway | ||||
| Transit authority | Transport for West Midlands | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BRV | ||||
| Fare zone | 3 | ||||
| Classification | DfT categoryD | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 3 April 1876 | Opened asStirchley Street | ||||
| 1880 | RenamedStirchley Street and Bournville | ||||
| 1885 | Line doubled | ||||
| 1904 | RenamedBournville | ||||
| 1978 | Rebuilt | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  1.331 million | ||||
| 2019/20 |  1.319 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.200 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.511 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.702 million | ||||
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Bournville railway stationserves theBournvillearea ofBirmingham,England.It is on theCross-City Linewhich runs fromRedditch/BromsgrovetoLichfieldviaBirmingham New Street.
History
[edit]The station opened on 3 April 1876[1]as the temporary southern terminus of theBirmingham West Suburban Railway,while the difficult construction of the junction with theBirmingham and Gloucester Railwaywas completed atKings Norton.Stirchley Streetopened as a single platform with later added run around loop. In an initial land rental agreement with theWorcester and Birmingham Canal,the station sits above Bournville Lane, as the tracks are on anembankment,shared with the canal.
With the opening of theCadbury Bournville Factoryin 1879, in 1880 the station was renamedStirchley Street and Bournville.After an improved through connection was developed to the Birmingham and Gloucester at Kings Norton in 1885, the railway track to Birmingham was doubled along its lines entire length as the line was extended intoBirmingham New Street.This necessitated the construction of a southbound platform between the line and the canal, resulting even today in a narrow platform. In 1904, the station was finally renamedBournville.[2]
The station has never had any goods facilities, but north of its location were the exchange sidings with the 6 miles (9.7 km) of theBournville Works Railway,while south of it there was aMidland Railwaydevelopedroundhouseengine shed,which opened in 1895 and closed in 1961. The station area has changed considerably since the Midland Railway days and lost virtually all its original features as the station was completely rebuilt byBritish Railin 1978 to the designs of the architect John Broome[3]along with the others on this line when the Cross-City route was commissioned. Prior to the rebuild, the station had only received a limited service (mainly at peak hours) for much of the 1960s and 1970s. The line waselectrifiedin 1993.
Station masters
[edit]- H.G. Clayfield 1876 - 1880[4]
- H. Shaw 1880[4]- 1881[5]
- Frederick Watkin 1881 - 1883[5](formerly station master at Somerset Road, afterwards station master at Whatstandwell)
- W.H. Turner 1883[5]- 1888[6](formerly station master at Cray, afterwards station master at Edwalton)
- J. Jones 1888[6](formerly station master at Cray)
- Albert Christopher East 1889 - 1891[6](afterwards station master at Freeton)
- Arthur James Dewey 1891[6]- 1929[7]
- H.J. Parker 1930 - 1937[8]
- S. Davies ca. 1940
- William Blackmore 1946 - 1956[9]
Today
[edit]TheCadburychocolate factory is still adjacent to the station, reflected in the fact that Bournville station is partly painted in Cadbury purple, and station signs include the famous Cadbury logo, a reflection of the station providing ideal access forCadbury World.
The station currently only serves trains of the Cross City Line, all services currently being operated byClass 323electrical multiple units.Services are all operated byWest Midlands Trainson behalf ofTransport for West Midlands.
Bournville Station is equipped with real-time information departure boards which were installed in 2006 byCentral Trains.
In 2010, the station featured in episode 18 ofMichael Portillo's television seriesGreat British Railway Journeys.
In 2011, the station featured in episode 2 ofJulia Bradbury's television seriesCanal Walks with Julia Bradbury.
Disabled access
[edit]Both platforms have step-free access (by means of a ramp) from the Mary Vale Road entrance. The main station entrance, via the ticket office on Bournville Lane, only provides access to the platforms via steep steps. There is a ticket machine on platform 1 (for trains towardsBirmingham New Street) for the benefit of passengers who enter the station via the step-free entrance.
Services
[edit]There are four trains an hour that serve Bournville in each direction on Mondays to Saturdays. Two of the northbound services terminate atFour Oakswhilst two continue ontoLichfield Trent Valleywith two southbound services servingRedditchand the other two servingBromsgrove. On Sundays there are 3 trains an hour, with two terminating northbound at Lichfield Trent Valley and southbound at Redditch and one northbound atBirmingham New Streetand one southbound at Bromsgrove.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ^"Local and District News".Worcester Journal.British Newspaper Archive. 8 April 1876.Retrieved23 July2016– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Bournville station".Rail Around Birmingham.Retrieved15 June2010.
- ^Lawrence, David (2018).British Rail Architecture 1948-97.Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 155.ISBN9780860936855.
- ^ab"1871-1879 Coaching".Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts:767. 1871.Retrieved27 December2021.
- ^abc"1881-1898 Coaching".Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts:329. 1881.Retrieved27 December2021.
- ^abcd"1881-1898 Coaching".Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts:823. 1881.Retrieved27 December2021.
- ^"Bournville's Growth. Reminiscences of the Stationmaster. Retiring Today".Birmingham Daily Gazette.England. 31 October 1929.Retrieved25 March2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Forty Years with L.M.S.".Birmingham Daily Gazette.England. 2 July 1937.Retrieved25 March2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"45 years a railman".Birmingham Daily Gazette.England. 29 August 1956.Retrieved25 March2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Train Timetables and Schedules | Bournville".West Midlands Railway.
- ^"Train Times | The Cross City Line | 21 May until 9 December 2023".West Midlands Railway.
External links
[edit]
- Train timesandstation informationfor Bournville railway station fromNational Rail
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Bournville railway station
- Warwickshire Railways page
- Warwickshire Railways engine shed page
| Preceding station |  National Rail
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Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands Railway | ||||