63-463: The Snow Hill Lines is the collective name for the railway lines running through Birmingham Snow Hill , and Birmingham Moor Street stations in Birmingham , United Kingdom. They form an important part of the suburban rail network of Birmingham, Warwickshire and Worcestershire . All other lines to/through Birmingham use Birmingham New Street station. The Snow Hill lines carry around 20% of
126-567: A multi-storey car park stands over the main platform area, meaning artificial lighting is required on the platforms. Like its predecessor, the main entrance is on Colmore Row . Some parts of the original station are still visible (notably the now-sealed entrance, with GWR crest, in Livery Street). Initially only local stopping services to Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon used the new station. Services at Moor Street, where these services had previously terminated, were switched from
189-405: A 10 platform station. The line north from Snow Hill towards Hockley was quadrupled at the same time, however the cost of widening the twin track Snow Hill tunnel at the southern end was considered prohibitive. There was not enough capacity through the tunnel to accommodate all of the services, and so, as a solution, Birmingham Moor Street was built as an "overflow" station at the opposite end of
252-560: A 30-year strategy of Transport in the West Midlands several interventions were proposed between 2018 and 2047. By 2026 it was proposed that trains would be lengthened, improvements to evening services (from May 2019), investigations of a case to extend services to Brierley Hill and West Midland Safari Park and reopening platform 4 at Snow Hill. By 2034, it was proposed that Birmingham to Rowley Regis, Dorridge, Whitlocks End and Stratford upon Avon services would be increased which would see
315-476: A dedicated embankment for trams alongside the station and included a new through stop serving Snow Hill. The site of the station was formerly occupied by Oppenheim's Glassworks. This was demolished, but many parts of the building and machinery are believed to be buried underneath the station and car park, and during recent development work alongside the station the area was designated as a site of archaeological importance by Birmingham City Council . The station
378-759: A manually operated ground frame located to the north of platforms 1 & 2. Platforms A disused through-platform face can be seen next to platform 3, which is used as a station entrance and part of the car park. West Midlands Railway : The majority of services from Stourbridge Junction are operated by West Midlands Trains, using Class 172 diesel multiple units . They usually run 4 trains per hour to Birmingham Snow Hill via Smethwick Galton Bridge . 2 of these per hour extend to Stratford-upon-Avon , and 1 each to Dorridge and Whitlocks End . Four trains per hour also run to Kidderminster , with 2tph continuing to Worcester Foregate Street or Worcester Shrub Hill . Some services to Birmingham continue to Leamington Spa in
441-501: A new Snow Hill station, the present incarnation, was built; it reopened in 1987. Today, most of the trains using Snow Hill are local services on the Snow Hill Lines , operated by West Midlands Railway , serving Worcester Shrub Hill , Kidderminster , Stourbridge Junction , Stratford-upon-Avon and Solihull . The only long-distance service using Snow Hill is to and from London Marylebone , operated by Chiltern Railways via
504-452: A new turn back facilities at Rowley Regis and capacity interventions at Moor Street and Snow Hill. Beyond 2034, it was proposed that there may be capacity improvements between Leamington Spa and Birmingham, a new semi-fast service between Birmingham and Oxford via Solihull, local service frequency increases and Safari Park service increases. Birmingham Snow Hill railway station Birmingham Snow Hill , also known as Snow Hill station ,
567-428: A nuclear flask train which operates from Bridgwater to Crewe . There are several other freight trains which use the line through the station on a regular basis. Since 2010, plans have existed to reintroduce services on part of the disused Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OWW) from Stourbridge Junction to Brierley Hill . Services would be operated by similar PPM stock that is used to Stourbridge Town, or
630-422: A projected cost of £9.94 million, but due to Centro's failure to apply for planning permission, and severe technical difficulties, the cost rose to at least £17 million. Although construction and interior finishes' works were largely complete by December 2010, legal disputes between London Midland, Network Rail and Centro caused delay to the opening of the entrance by over a year. The former tram terminus platform
693-492: A two-hourly local service from Moor Street to Leamington. In peak hours some Chiltern services to or from London continue to Stourbridge Junction. The West Midlands Metro runs into Snow Hill, but it is not considered one of the Snow Hill Lines as it is a light rail / tram line. However it runs mostly along the trackbed of the former Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line . In October 2018, as part of
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#1732772911439756-641: A wider network modernisation programme to centralise signalling operations. The signals at the station are now controlled from the West Midlands Signalling Centre in Saltley , Birmingham . Signalling Signals in and around the station are controlled from the West Midlands Signalling Centre , which replaced Stourbridge's older box in 2012. The town branch is accessed from the 'goods loop' line and
819-727: Is a railway station in Birmingham City Centre . It is one of the three main city-centre stations in Birmingham, along with Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street . Snow Hill was once the main station of the Great Western Railway in Birmingham and, at its height, it rivalled New Street station with competitive services to destinations including London Paddington , Wolverhampton Low Level , Birkenhead Woodside , Wales and South West England . The station has been rebuilt several times since
882-527: Is also used as a diversionary route for the Cross Country Route between Birmingham New Street and Cheltenham Spa . In the recent economic downturn freight through Stourbridge Junction has lessened significantly. There are now just three steel trains per day each way to and from Round Oak Steel Terminal . Other 'as required' services include a scrap steel service and a new stone service from Croft to Brierley Hill which operate on Fridays, and
945-448: Is intended to be returned for use for mainline trains as a fourth platform. However as of September 2020, little work has been conducted other than disconnecting and partial lifting of the former tram line. The fourth platform is now expected to be completed by 2026. In remembrance of a cat kept at the station before its closure, a memorial tile was installed during the works for the reopening. During later refurbishment works in 2014 care
1008-458: Is renowned for being one of the shortest branch line services in Europe at 3/4 of a mile long. Chiltern Railways : The station is served by one southbound Chiltern service Monday to Friday, a 06:14 service to London Marylebone via Birmingham Snow Hill . This ran to/from Kidderminster from September 2002 to May 2023. On Saturdays and Sundays two services head southbound to Marylebone in
1071-608: Is the junction for the Stourbridge Town Branch Line , said to be the shortest operational branch line in Europe . The other station serving Stourbridge is Stourbridge Town at the end of the branch line. The station was opened in 1852 on the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway line, at a slightly different location from the present station, under the name of Stourbridge. The junction came about when
1134-636: The Chiltern Main Line . The present Snow Hill station has three platforms for National Rail trains. When it was originally reopened in 1987, it had four, but one was later converted in 1999 for use as a terminus for West Midlands Metro trams on the line from Wolverhampton . This tram terminus closed in October 2015, in order for the extension of the West Midlands Metro through Birmingham city centre to be connected; this included
1197-457: The Snowhill development to carry the tram lines into the city centre. This allows platform 4 to be returned to main line use in the future. The new Snow Hill through stop was opened on 2 June 2016, two days after the full opening of the city-centre extension to New Street. However, the necessary works to allow passenger access to the stop from the street or adjacent railway station had not at
1260-475: The Stourbridge Railway built their line to Lye and beyond. Stourbridge became a double junction on 1 October 1879 when the branch to Stourbridge Town and goods was opened. It was at this time that the station changed its name from Stourbridge to Stourbridge Junction . The new station 400 yards (370 m) to the south of the original costing £100,000 (equivalent to £13,710,000 in 2023)
1323-544: The "Jewellery Line" project. This is a regional main line with services to London Marylebone . In the West Midlands it is one of the Snow Hill Lines, as it also carries a frequent commuter service between Snow Hill and Solihull , Dorridge and Leamington Spa . This is a commuter branch line, which branches off from the Chiltern Main Line at Tyseley and runs south to Stratford-upon-Avon . The line
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#17327729114391386-411: The 1970s, a project which was completed in two phases. The first phase was completed on 5 October 1987, when the newly rebuilt Snow Hill station opened for services to the south, along with Snow Hill tunnel . The rebuilt station is on a smaller scale than its Edwardian predecessor, built with two island platforms , giving four platform faces. The station's architecture is functional rather than ornate,
1449-540: The OWW built a small servicing depot just north of the station on the route to Wolverhampton . The GWR intended to improve this, but were delayed by the outbreak of World War I until 1926, when they built a new standard pattern single roundhouse with coaling/watering and light maintenance facilities, situated 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of the station, just north of the A458 Birmingham Street . The depot
1512-516: The West Country, Stourbridge and Shrewsbury were diverted to New Street, and the branch to Dudley was closed. All that was left was a shuttle service of four trains per day using Class 122 railcars to Langley Green , along with six daily stopping services to Wolverhampton Low Level . With this, as most passenger facilities in the station were withdrawn and virtually the entire site became disused save for one bay platform, Snow Hill then acquired
1575-559: The West Midlands Railway brand. There are four West Midlands Railway trains per hour (tph) serving Snow Hill in each direction, running as follows: Eastbound: Westbound: From 1999 until 2015, Snow Hill was the terminus of the Midland Metro Line 1 from Wolverhampton . Opening on 31 May 1999, it occupied the space previously used by platform 4 of the main line station. The stop had two platforms, and
1638-606: The branch route may be expanded, these plans were later paused in place of the West Midlands Metro extension. In 2012 the extension of the West Midlands Metro to from Wednesbury to Brierley hill had been given the go ahead. Due to funding constraints, it was decided to terminate Line 2 in Brierley Hill , and later Stourbridge, with the first section from Wednesbury to Dudley opening first. In early 2017, work began to clear vegetation and disused track from
1701-551: The daily rail services into Birmingham; the remainder use New Street. Historically, the lines running through Snow Hill station were built by the Great Western Railway , and so they are largely separate from the lines running into New Street station, which were built by the London and North Western Railway and Midland Railway . The original Snow Hill station was closed in 1972. The Snow Hill lines in their present form came into being between 1987 and 1995, when Snow Hill station, and
1764-568: The decision was taken to end main line services through Snow Hill once electrification of the WCML was complete, and divert most of its remaining services through New Street. Long-distance services through Snow Hill ceased in March 1967. Snow Hill tunnel closed to all traffic the following year, with the last train running on 2 March 1968. Local trains towards Leamington Spa and Stratford upon Avon were then terminated at Moor Street. Services to London,
1827-450: The driver and fireman of the light engine and the guard of the passenger train were cut or bruised. The report by Lieutenant Col. H.A. Yorke R.E. found that the blame lay on the signalman who forgot that there was an engine at the home signal and accepted the passenger train without checking that the line was clear. On 9 July 1920 a light engine (No. 497) collided with a goods train hauled by an 0-6-0 freight locomotive (No. 1015) injuring
1890-611: The evening peak. Services in the West Midlands county are often subsidised by Network West Midlands . Trains operating from the Junction to Stourbridge Town are currently being run by Class 139 units . One of two units operates a shuttle service every ten minutes between the stations. This is instead every 15 minutes on Sundays. The service is called the Stourbridge Shuttle , and is operated by Pre Metro Operations, in partnership with West Midlands Railway. The Shuttle
1953-527: The extension was brought into service as far as Bull Street on 6 December 2015. As part of the extension, a new through Snow Hill stop at a different location opened outside the station and further west, on the existing viaduct near the Livery Street entrance. Funding for this was confirmed in the October 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review . A new viaduct was built alongside the station as part of
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2016-485: The first station at Snow Hill, a temporary wooden structure, was opened in 1852; it was rebuilt as a permanent station in 1871 and then rebuilt again on a much grander scale during 1906–1912. The electrification of the main line from London to New Street in the 1960s saw New Street favoured over Snow Hill, most of whose services were withdrawn in the late 1960s. This led to the station's eventual closure in 1972 and its demolition five years later. After fifteen years of closure,
2079-562: The former railway line. The line will be completed by 2025. The estimated cost of Line 2 is now £449 million. In 2021, large funding was given to the West Midlands Metro, and the extension to Stourbridge Town Centre & Stourbridge Junction was confirmed to be under development / planning. However, there is no estimated date of construction or completion. Once complete, trams will run on 3 lines to Walsall, Wolverhampton & Digbeth (in Central Birmingham) On construction,
2142-411: The former terminal platforms, which then closed, on to two newly built through platforms, at the southern end of Snow Hill tunnel, making a through station adjacent to the tunnel mouth. In May 1993 Network SouthEast reintroduced limited-stop services to London, initially on a two-hourly frequency, routed to Marylebone instead of the pre-closure destination of Paddington. The service proved popular and
2205-411: The guard of the goods train and derailing the brake van and eight goods wagons. On Thursday 2 April 1931 a passenger train from Birmingham collided with three empty stationary coaches at the station. The train was running into the relief platform when the driver suddenly spotted the stationary coaches which had formed part of a local train earlier in the evening. The first of the three stationary coaches
2268-528: The line between Smethwick West and Snow Hill, along with three new stations ( Smethwick Galton Bridge , The Hawthorns and Jewellery Quarter ). In 1999, the line to Wolverhampton was reopened as a light rail (tram) line, the Midland Metro . Work began on a new entrance on Livery Street to give commuters access to the lower Snow Hill and Jewellery Quarter part of the city centre in 2005, but it did not open for business until March 2011. The work had
2331-435: The line through to Smethwick was reopened, in order to create a new cross-city rail service via Snow Hill and Moor Street stations. The former line to Wolverhampton was reopened as the Midland Metro tram line in 1999. The three Snow Hill lines are: This is a commuter line to Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street via Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster . It was reopened to Snow Hill in 1995 as part of
2394-616: The local services on the routes, mainly use Class 172 DMUs. These replaced the older Class 150 in 2011. Chiltern Railways use Class 165 and Class 168 diesel multiple units, and Class 68 locomotives with Mark 3 coaches. However, electrification is a future aspiration of Network Rail and Chiltern Railways. The local services on the Snow Hill Lines are closely integrated. As of 2023, West Midlands Railway run four trains per hour between Kidderminster , Birmingham Snow Hill, and Birmingham Moor Street . The typical weekday service has two services per hour running eastbound to Dorridge and
2457-480: The mid-1960s Snow Hill was still a major station handling millions of passengers annually; in 1964 Snow Hill handled 7.5 million passengers, compared to 10.2 million at New Street. However the electrification of the rival West Coast Main Line into New Street, meant that British Railways decided to concentrate all services into Birmingham into one station, and Snow Hill was seen as being an unnecessary duplication. In 1966
2520-503: The mornings. Three trains return here with a service from London on Mondays to Friday evenings, with two each on Saturdays & Sundays. Other operators: The station often sees special charter trains or stock movements to the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster , and three CrossCountry services - one early morning and two late evening - are timetabled to run through, but not call at, Stourbridge Junction. The line
2583-518: The other two to Whitlocks End . One of each eastbound service per hour continues to Stratford-upon-Avon , and some evening trains continue beyond Dorridge to Leamington Spa . Westbound, two trains per hour usually continue beyond Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster continue to Worcester Foregate Street and/or Worcester Shrub Hill . Chiltern Railways run two trains per hour from either Snow Hill or Moor Street to London Marylebone calling at Solihull and Leamington Spa. Chiltern Railways also run
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2646-471: The platforms. In 1871 it was rebuilt, and replaced with a permanent structure. The 1871 station had two through platforms, and bay platforms at the Wolverhampton end, covered by an arched roof. Access to the station was from Livery Street from the side. Trains from the south arrived through Snow Hill Tunnel , built by the cut-and-cover method, and in a cutting from Temple Row to Snow Hill. The cutting
2709-404: The railway station, and the closer proximity of Bull Street stop. The stop is now advertised as an alternate interchange to the mainline station with Bull Street being the main interchange. In December 2018 it was announced that a new entrance would be constructed at Snow Hill station, by opening up an arch in the railway viaduct. This will allow direct interchange between St Chads tram stop and
2772-558: The railway station. The work is due to begin in Summer 2019. In October 1854, a derailed engine fell into Great Charles Street, below the station. Stourbridge Junction railway station Stourbridge Junction is one of two railway stations serving the town of Stourbridge , in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands , England . It lies on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line and
2835-475: The railway was prevented from reaching its original intended terminus at Curzon Street ; London and North Western Railway's engineer Robert Stephenson and solicitor Samuel Carter argued in Parliament that there would be safety risks in rival companies sharing the congested connection into their station. The original station was a simple temporary wooden structure, consisting of a large wooden shed covering
2898-512: The station and platform 3 is used for trains going south. Occasional steam-hauled special trains use the station. Snow Hill is served by Chiltern Railway services to and from London Marylebone . Some Chiltern services continue beyond Birmingham to Stourbridge Junction . The typical Chiltern service pattern is as follows: Local services from Snow Hill, like most local services in the West Midlands, are supported by Transport for West Midlands . They are operated by West Midlands Trains using
2961-472: The time been completed, meaning passengers could only access the stop by a walkway alongside the tracks from the city centre. Stairs and a lift connecting the stop to the street below were completed in September 2017. In January 2017, the stop was renamed St Chads as the name Snow Hill was considered misleading for passengers using the mainline station due to the new stop's lack of direct interchange with
3024-406: The transfer between Snow Hill (or Moor St) & New Street on foot. The station used to have four platforms, comprising two island platforms. The southern divergence to Platform 1 was removed some years ago and Platform 4, situated opposite to the current Platform 3, now faces the car park - built on the station's old carriage sidings. The station's signalbox closed on 24 August 2012, as part of
3087-514: The tunnel to take terminating local trains towards Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon. The Great Western Hotel was closed at the same time (as guests complained of being kept awake by goods trains running underneath) and converted into railway offices, and a passenger entrance was provided on Colmore Row , which became the station's main entrance. At its height, many trains that now run into New Street station ran into Snow Hill, along with some that no longer run. Services included: As late as
3150-473: The unfortunate title of "the largest unstaffed railway halt in the country". In March 1972 these last services were withdrawn and the station closed entirely, along with the lines through to Smethwick and Wolverhampton, with the exception of a single line from Smethwick West for Coopers Scrap Metal Works in Handsworth (the works is still in operation to this day). Following closure, the derelict station
3213-739: The wake of the Beeching Report , but mostly reverted to their previous route following the reopening of the Smethwick Junction to Snow Hill line in 1995. Certain Birmingham - Worcester/Hereford trains calling here continued to use the connection onto the Stour Valley line at Galton Junction until the May 2004 timetable change, but there are now no timetabled direct services to New Street and passengers wishing to access main line services there must either change at Galton Bridge or make
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#17327729114393276-451: Was allocated with mainly local service tank engines, such as Prairies and Panniers , with a small allocation of dedicated freight types. The original OWW shed was later used to house railmotors and diesel railcars. With the Beeching Report implemented, both depots closed in July 1966 and were demolished, with the land used for housing. Today the yard to the north of the station is home to
3339-399: Was approached by a short section of single track. The Snow Hill terminus was officially closed on 24 October 2015, and the approach line disconnected, in order to allow the new extension into Birmingham City Centre to be connected to the existing line. It is therefore the only Midland Metro stop so far to have been permanently closed. Trams terminated at St Paul's until the first part of
3402-636: Was completely destroyed and the other two were badly damaged. A few passengers on the passenger train received minor injuries. In 1962, the OWW was closed to passenger traffic north of Stourbridge by the British Transport Commission , although the route remained open for freight until 1993. Only the section as far as the Round Oak Steel Terminal is still in use. All through services to Birmingham were diverted from Snow Hill to Birmingham New Street in 1967 in
3465-413: Was covered by a large glass and steel overall roof. It consisted of two large Island platforms , containing four through platforms, and four bay platforms for terminating trains at the northern end. The through platforms were long enough to accommodate two trains at a time, and scissors crossings allowed trains to pull in front, or out from behind of other trains stood in a platform, effectively creating
3528-449: Was formerly a through main line running south to Cheltenham, but has been a dead end branch since the 1970s. Frequent commuter services run as far as Whitlocks End , with a less frequent service running to Stratford. A spur line from Hatton allows some services to run via Solihull. Unlike the lines to/through New Street station, the lines are not electrified, and are operated by diesel multiple units . West Midlands Railway , who operate
3591-506: Was increased to an hourly frequency the following year. Chiltern Railways took over the service after privatisation. The second phase of the Snow Hill reopening project was completed on 24 September 1995, when the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line was reopened to Snow Hill. This allowed the resumption of services to Worcester Shrub Hill via Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster. The "Jewellery Line" project involved reopening
3654-483: Was opened in 1852 on the Great Western Railway (GWR) main line from London Paddington to Wolverhampton Low Level and Birkenhead Woodside . Originally called Birmingham Station, its name was changed to Great Charles Street station, and then Livery Street Station. It was finally renamed Snow Hill in 1858, and the Great Western Hotel was added in 1863. It was never intended to be the main station, but
3717-431: Was opened on 1 October 1901 by J.E. Jones, Vice-Chairman of Stourbridge Council. The traffic at this time comprised 150 passenger trains and 200 luggage trains per day. On 17 February 1902 the 1.12pm passenger train from Wolverhampton to London was approaching Stourbridge Junction when it ran into a light engine which was standing at the home signal at Stourbridge Junction North signal box. Nine passengers were injured, and
3780-514: Was revealed. The ironwork of the station roof was badly corroded in several places, and the unstable ground and foundations on which the station had been built were causing it to slide downhill. A few items, including the original gates and booking hall sign, were saved and later used in the Moor Street restoration. The West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority had adopted a policy to restore cross-city rail services through Snow Hill since
3843-490: Was roofed over in 1872 and the Great Western Arcade built on top. To cope with expanding traffic. Snow Hill station was rebuilt again on a much larger scale between 1906 and 1912. The new station building was intended to compete with New Street. The rebuilt station contained lavish facilities, such as a large booking hall with an arched glass roof, and lavish waiting rooms with oak bars. The main platform area
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#17327729114393906-486: Was taken that the tile would stay in situ. The station is managed by West Midlands Trains and services are provided by West Midlands Trains and Chiltern Railways. There is a small set of sidings at the Hockley end of the station, which can be reached from Platform 1 only. All platforms can be used in either direction; generally platforms 1 or 2 are used for trains heading north, platform 2 is used for trains terminating at
3969-403: Was used for several years as a car park. It enjoyed a brief moment of fame in 1976 when it was the setting for a fight scene in the locally set BBC TV drama series Gangsters . However, despite a public outcry, the Snow Hill building was not preserved. The Colmore Row façade was demolished in 1969, and the rest of the station largely demolished in 1977, when the dangerous state of the building
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