Berkswell railway station
Berkswell  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Balsall Common,Solihull England | ||||
| Grid reference | SP244776 | ||||
| Managed by | West Midlands Railway | ||||
| Transit authority | Transport for West Midlands | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BKW | ||||
| Fare zone | 5 | ||||
| Classification | DfT categoryE | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  0.356 million | ||||
| 2019/20 |  0.334 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 52,916 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.162 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.222 million | ||||
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Berkswellrailway station(/ˈbɜːrkswəl/BURK-swəl), in theWest MidlandsofEngland,takes its name from the nearby village ofBerkswellalthough it is located on the northern edge of the village ofBalsall Common.The station originally opened in 1844 asDocker's Lane,changed toBerkswellon 1 January 1853, then toBerkswell & Balsall Commonon 1 February 1928 before reverting toBerkswellagain in 1955.[1]
It is situated on theWest Coast Main LinebetweenBirminghamandCoventry,specifically between the stations ofHampton-in-ArdenandTile Hill(in west Coventry). The station and all trains serving it are operated byWest Midlands Railway,whileAvanti West Coastpass through the station without stopping. There are small lakes and a river on the Eastern side of the railway station.
History
[edit]Berkswell was once the junction for a LNWR line authorised in 1881 that ran toKenilworthon the existingCoventry–Leamington line.The new line opened for goods traffic on 2 March 1884 and passengers on 2 June 1884 and provided the LNWR with a route between Birmingham and Leamington that was similar in length to the GWR's rival route through Solihull. The passenger services along this line ran from Birmingham New Street toLeamington Spa,and some continued toRugby.[2]It closed to all traffic on 3 March 1969.[3]The trackbed of this line is gradually being converted into a "Greenway" for walking, cycling, and horse-riding. The route for the proposedHigh Speed 2line will lie broadly parallel to this greenway, thus necessitating its realignment through and north-west of the village ofBurton Green.[4]A length of track of the Kenilworth line survives as a siding. It was occasionally used for stabling theRoyal Train.[5]Even though the station is situated in the far larger community of Balsall Common, there are currently no plans to revert its name back to the more accurate ‘Berkswell & Balsall Common’.
In 2004, as part of a plan to upgrade the line to carry more high speed trains, thelevel crossingsituated to the east of the station was removed and two small low paralleltunnelswere built under the railway, one for road traffic and the other for pedestrians. The road tunnel, being too narrow for two-way traffic, is controlled by traffic lights. The level crossings atTile HillandCanleywere also removed in the upgrade.[6]
Facilities
[edit]The station has a ticket office located on platform 1 which is open Monday-Thursday 07:00-13:00, Friday 07:00-13:00 and 15:00-21:00, Saturday 08:00-16:00 and Sunday 10:00-16:30. When the ticket office is open tickets must be purchased before boarding the train. Outside of these times there is a ticket machine in the waiting room on platform 1 which accepts card payments only - cash and voucher payments can be made to the senior conductor on the train. When the waiting room is closed, tickets must be purchased from the ticket office (if open) or from the senior conductor on the train.
There is a free car park for rail users on Station Road. Cycle parking is also available.
Step free access is available between the platforms via the public subway on Station Road. Station staff provide information and assistance whilst the ticket office is open. Outside of these hours information is available from help points located on both platforms and from the senior conductor on the train. Berkswell station is accredited by the Secure Station Scheme.
Services
[edit]Berkswell is served by two trains per hour each way, toBirmingham New Streetnorthbound and toLondon EustonviaNorthamptonsouthbound. There are extra services towardsBirmingham New Streetin the morning peak. Some services to/fromLondon Eustonare split atNorthamptonwith one service running betweenBirmingham New StreetandNorthamptonand another betweenNorthamptonandLondon Euston.
On Sundays there is an hourly service each way betweenBirmingham New StreetandLondon EustonviaNorthampton.[7]
All services are operated byWest Midlands Trains.Most services are operated under theLondon Northwestern Railwaybrand but some services (mainly early morning and late night services which start/terminate atCoventry) operate under theWest Midlands Railwaybrand.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Northwestern Railway Some services extend toRugeley Trent Valley | ||||
| West Midlands Railway Limited service | ||||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Kenilworth Line closed, station open |
London and North Western Railway Berkswell loopLondon and Birmingham Railway 
|
Hampton-in-Arden Line and station open | ||
References
[edit]- ^Quick, Michael."Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain"(PDF).Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 77. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 March 2023.Retrieved14 February2023.
- ^Reed, M.C. (1996).The London & North Western Railway.Penryn: Atlantic Transport Publishers. pp. 134–5.ISBN0-906899-66-4.
- ^Warwickshire Railways - Kenilworth JunctionWarwickshire Railwayswebsite article; Retrieved 2013-09-03
- ^CFA 18 map book: Stoneleigh, Kenilworth and Burton Green (Ref: ES 3.2.2.18)Archived28 December 2013 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Kenilworth Greenway – Warwickshire Country Parks".countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk.
- ^Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2008).Rugby to Birmingham.Middleton Press.ISBN978-1-906008-37-6.
- ^GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 68
External links
[edit]
- Train timesandstation informationfor Berkswell railway station fromNational Rail
- Photographs of Berkswell stationat warwickshirerailways