Duddeston railway station is situated in the Duddeston area of Birmingham, England on the Redditch-Birmingham New Street-Four Oaks-Lichfield Cross-City Line and the Chase Line. Services on the Cross-City Line (and occasionally on the Chase line) are usually operated by Class 323 electric multiple units, while Class 350 electric multiple units are commonly used on services to and from Walsall.
Duddeston  | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Duddeston station | |
| General information | |
| Location | Duddeston, Birmingham England |
| Coordinates | 52°29′17″N 1°52′16″W / 52.488°N 1.871°W |
| Grid reference | SP088878 |
| Managed by | West Midlands Railway |
| Transit authority | Transport for West Midlands |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | DUD |
| Fare zone | 2 |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| Key dates | |
| 1837 | Opened as Vauxhall station |
| 1869 | Rebuilt and reopened |
| 1889 | renamed Vauxhall and Duddeston |
| 6 May 1974 | renamed Duddeston |
| Passengers | |
| 2018/19 |  0.343 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.408 million |
| 2020/21 |  0.116 million |
| 2021/22 | 0.242 million |
| 2022/23 | 0.385 million |
| Location | |
 | |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
History edit
Duddeston opened in 1837 as Vauxhall, the temporary Birmingham terminus of the Grand Junction Railway from Warrington.[1]: 12 When the permanent terminus at Curzon Street opened in 1839, Vauxhall became a goods-only station. An extract from an 1859 railway inspector's report into a minor collision reveals something of how the station was operated:[2]
There are sidings on both sides of the main line, and the station being on a curve, and the view interrupted by buildings, it is necessary to have a series of signalmen at short intervals for the protection of the switches and crossings connected with the main line
One of these signalmen (for the protection of the down line), when he had any shunting to do, had to warn a signalman on his right by turning on a disc signal; and he had also to work the arm of a semaphore signal on the Birmingham side of the station to stop all down trains on the main line.
The station was rebuilt and re-opened to passengers in 1869 under the LNWR and was renamed Vauxhall and Duddeston in 1889.
In 1941 it was hit by a bomb during a night raid and was destroyed. It was rebuilt in a temporary fashion, and in the mid-1950s it caught fire and was subsequently rebuilt.
The line through the station, to Walsall via Perry Barr, was electrified in 1966 as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme.[3] The actual energization of the line from Coventry to Walsall through Perry Barr took place on 15 August 1966.[4]
The station was renamed Duddeston on 6 May 1974.[5]
The entrance and ticket hall are over the tracks, on the Duddeston Mill Road bridge. The former Midland Railway line to Derby is nearby.
Adjacent are railway sheds that were once used for industrial purposes. They are now disused and the entrance has been blocked to prevent trespassing. A shed on the opposite side of the station to the remaining sheds has been demolished and its site is wasteland. The station has two island platforms serving four tracks, but only one island platform remains in use; the other has fallen into disrepair.
The remaining platform features artwork on black metal backgrounds.
Facilities edit
The station has a ticket office located on the concourse, though it is open from 08:00 to 10:00 on Mondays to Fridays only.[6] There is also a ticket machine on the concourse.[7]
In 2011, London Midland proposed the closure of the ticket office.[8] The request was denied.[9]
Services edit
Duddeston is served by Aston is served by West Midlands Trains with services on both the Cross-City Line,[10] using Class 323 Electric multiple units (EMUs), and on the Chase Line[11][12] using Class 350 EMUs.[13]
The typical service pattern is as follows:
Mondays to Saturdays edit
Cross-City Line:
- 2 trains per hour run northbound to Four Oaks via Sutton Coldfield, calling at all stations.
- 2 trains per hour run soutbound to Redditch, calling at all stations.
Chase Line:
- 2 trains per hour run to Walsall, calling at all stations.
- 2 trains per hour run to Wolverhampton via Birmingham New Street, calling at all stations.
A limited number of trains continue past Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley, usually 2 trains per day on weekdays.[14]
Sundays edit
- 2tph northbound to Lichfield Trent Valley, calling at all stations.
- 2tph southbound to Redditch, calling at all stations.
- 2tph to Walsall, calling at all stations.
- 2tph to Wolverhampton, calling at all stations.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston | West Midlands Railway Lichfield – Four Oaks – Birmingham – Bromsgrove/Redditch Cross-City Line |
Birmingham New Street | ||
| West Midlands Railway Rugeley – Walsall – Birmingham – Wolverhampton Chase Line |
||||
References edit
- ^ Drake, James (1838). Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
- ^ Capt. George Ross (RE) (11 March 1859). Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Vauxhall on 26th January 1859. Board of Trade. p. 16.
- ^ Nock, O.S. (1966). Britain's New Railway. London: Ian Allan. pp. 147–159.
- ^ Gillham, J.C. (1988). The Age of the Electric Train - Electric trains in Britain since 1883. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 169.
- ^ Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR". Railway Magazine. 120 (879). London: IPC Transport Press Ltd: 363. ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ "Duddeston Train Station". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ "Duddeston station map". National Rail. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "Proposed changes to ticket office opening hours". Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ "Rail ticket office cuts overruled". BBC News. 17 September 2012.
- ^ "Train Times | The Cross City Line | 30 December 2023 until 1 June 2024". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ "Train times | 10 December until 1 June 2024 | Rugeley to Birmingham New Street via Walsall". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ "Train times | 10 December 2023 until 1 June 2024 | Wolverhampton to Birmingham via Smethwick". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ "Train Timetables and Schedules | Aston". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ "Train Timetables and Schedules | Duddeston". West Midlands Railway.
External links edit
- Train times and station information for Duddeston railway station from National Rail
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Duddeston Station
- Warwickshire Railways page