Wolverhampton station is a railway station in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
,
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
, England on the
Birmingham Loop of the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. It is served by
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
,
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
,
Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
and
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
services, and was historically known as Wolverhampton High Level. It is also a
West Midlands Metro
The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmin ...
tram stop.
History
The first station named ''Wolverhampton'' had opened on the edge of the town centre in 1837 on the
Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Western Railway. The line built by the company w ...
, this station was renamed
Wednesfield Heath in 1855, shortly after the present station was opened, and then was closed in 1873.
![Wolverhampton railways 1854](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Wolverhampton_railways_1854.png)
On 12 November 1849, the
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway was authorised in 1846. It agreed to joint construction with others of the costly Wolverhampton to Birmingham section, the so-called Stour Valley Line. This work was dominated by the hostile London and North W ...
opened a
temporary terminus to its line, at a location very close to the present station.
The present station site was opened on 1 July 1852 by the
Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway, a subsidiary of 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 L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
(LNWR); it was named ''Wolverhampton Queen Street''.
The only visible remnant of the original station is the
Queen's Building, the gateway to Railway Drive which was the approach road to the station. The building was originally the carriage entrance to the station and was completed three years before the main station building. Today, it forms part of
Wolverhampton bus station
Wolverhampton bus station is the first part of a major public transport interchange in the city centre of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands region of England.
It is managed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM). Local bus services operated b ...
.
![Bushbury_%26_Wolverhampton_RJD_80](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Bushbury_%26_Wolverhampton_RJD_80.jpg)
Two years later, on 1 July 1854, the
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) was a railway company in England. It built a line from Wolvercot JunctionThe nearby settlement is spelt ''Wolvercote'' and a later station on the LNWR Bicester line follows that spelling. ...
(OWWR) opened a second station, located behind the older station on lower ground, which became known as the
Wolverhampton Low Level station from April 1856, the other becoming known as Wolverhampton High Level from 1 June 1885.
From 1923, the LNWR was amalgamated into 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 LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...
(LMS), and in 1948 it became part of the
London Midland Region
The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways (BR), and initially consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England, Wales and Northern Irelan ...
of
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
ways.
Services over the former Grand Junction Railway line to (and thence to and ) ended in January 1965, this route being the only one from here to fall victim to the
Beeching Axe
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...
.
![Wolverhampton station entrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Wolverhampton_station_entrance.jpg)
The since replaced Wolverhampton station dated from 1964 when the High Level station was completely rebuilt by the architect
Ray Moorcroft as part of the modernisation programme which saw the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
electrified.
It consisted of three through platforms (the present platforms 1, 2 and 3). As part of this scheme, most services on the OW&WR route from were diverted here from Low Level (though a few peak-hour trains continued to serve the latter until March 1968); these then continued to Birmingham New Street via the Stour Valley line rather than via the ex-GWR line to Birmingham Snow Hill as before. In the 1980s, a parcels siding was converted into a south-facing bay platform (the present platform 5), and a new north-facing bay was constructed (the present platform 6).
![Wolverhampton railway station horse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Wolverhampton_railway_station_horse.jpg)
In 1987 twelve different horse sculptures by
Kevin Atherton
Kevin Atherton (born 1950) is a International artist from the Isle of Man who holds Irish citizenship, after twenty years of living and working in Ireland he is now based in Hastings on the south coast of England. His practice includes performance ...
, titled ''Iron Horse'', were erected between New Street station and Wolverhampton, including one at the southern end of platforms 2 and 3.
More recently (in 2004), a new through platform (platform 4) was constructed on the site of infrequently-used sidings. This has greatly enhanced the capacity of the station. A new footbridge was also constructed, to allow access to the new platform but also to improve access to the existing ones. A proposal for a more comprehensive redevelopment of the station and surrounding area was announced on 18 October 2006.
Work on the £150 million redevelopment of the station finally began in 2018, and was expected to be completed in 2020, it included an extension of the
West Midland Metro. However, COVID-19 requirements caused the work to be delayed. Demolition of the 1960s buildings began in May 2020 with the first part of the new station opening the same month. The new station building was fully opened in June 2021, a year later than originally planned. Its aluminium façade is in black and gold, the traditional colours of
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
.
Management of the station transferred from
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 9 ...
to
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
franchise in April 2018.
Services
The basic Monday to Saturday off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is as follows:
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
:
*1tph to via and (more in the morning peak)
*1tph to via and :
** 2 trains per day extend to only, with 1 train every 2 hours running to (1tp2h) and 6 trains per day run to . Services to Scotland run via .
*1 tpd to .
1 early morning service runs to via , and on Mondays to Saturdays.
London Northwestern Railway
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
:
*1tph to via &
*1tph to via .
2 trains per hour run between Liverpool and Birmingham during peak times and on Saturdays.
West Midlands Railway
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
:
*3tph to Birmingham New Street via Smethwick Galton Bridge.
**2tph run as local stopping services to .
*1tph to via , and . 2tph operate at peak hours. Sundays are operated as an hourly service stopping at all stations.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
:
*2tph to
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...
via and (one morning train on weekdays instead runs via Crewe).
* 1tph to via Birmingham, Coventry and .
* 1tph to via Birmingham and , with 2tpd continuing to .
Transport for Wales Rail
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
:
*1tp2h to & , dividing at
*1tp2h to via Shrewsbury, and , two evening services instead run to (Monday to Friday only), and Manchester Piccadilly, via Warrington Bank Quay, respectively.
*1tph to .
At Saturday nighttime one service terminates at Crewe, with the last two Chester-bound services on Sundays running via Crewe to terminate at Chester.
West Midlands Railway also will run a direct
Wolverhampton-Walsall service via and , expected to start in Winter 2025/26.
Platforms
![Wolverhampton railway station MMB 07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Wolverhampton_railway_station_MMB_07.jpg)
Wolverhampton station has six platforms: platforms 1 to 4 are through platforms, while platforms 5 and 6 are bay platforms at the south and north ends respectively. Although all four through platforms are reversible, in practice platform 1 is used for northbound services, platform 2 for northbound and southbound services, and platforms 3 and 4 are for southbound services. Platform 3 is also used for northbound services at busy times. Platform 5 is used by local services to Walsall via
Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the Birmingham station group, three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the Rail transport in the United Kingdom, British railway system. It is a ma ...
. Platform 6 was designed for local services on the
Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
(and was formerly numbered Platform 4 but was renumbered upon the construction of the present Platform 4 in 2004) but is now rarely used, as the majority of services on that route travel through to Birmingham (or occasionally to Walsall). It is generally used for the first service of the day to Shrewsbury and for holding trains when they are not in use.
Platform 1 is mostly used for northbound services, however in the late evenings and on Sundays, there are still a few Avanti West Coast shuttle services that either terminate in platforms 1 or 2. These shuttle trains, usually travel to London Euston, via Birmingham New Street. The shuttle trains are usually of 9-car formation.
Platform 4 is now used for all Avanti West Coast services from Edinburgh/Glasgow to London Euston.
All platforms at the station are
electrified
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...
to 25 kV AC overhead power.
The Interchange Project
The railway station is earmarked for redevelopment as part of the Wolverhampton Interchange Project. Ion Developments (previously Neptune Developments) were selected for the project and plan to create a major mixed used area that includes both bus and railway stations, a hotel, retail outlets, bars, cafes and offices.
The plan is to completely rebuild the railway station and improve pedestrian access over the ring road, with a new footbridge link direct to the bus station. After a shortfall in funding for the project, it was decided that the development would take place in phases. Phase One began in April 2010 with the construction of the new
bus station
A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is l ...
which was completed in 2011. Phase Two, which includes the railway station, canalside development, and a hotel, has commenced as of September 2018.
On 31 December 2014 the first phase of the redevelopment of the Railway Station was announced, with the redevelopment of the station's car park, it has seen the car park refurbished and extended to take the existing capacity from 520 to just over 900, along with a new entrance to the car park created from Mill Street, and also includes parking for bikes and motorbikes. It is also expected that a hotel will eventually be developed to change the facade of the car park.
From Sunday 8 January 2017, vehicular access to the railway station changed, with access now via Corn Hill. This change coincided with the opening of the extended car park. This has also created a new short stay and drop off area including a new taxi rank. The change has seen Railway Drive completely closed to enable the laying of tracks for the new Metro extension to commence and the rebuilding of the railway station.
On Friday 28 September 2018, work started on Wolverhampton's Railway Station, with the demolition on the Transport Police building. This is the first phase of the new Station build, which will see the main station building demolished once the first half of the new building has been built. The complete Station is due to open in 2020.
The new station building opened on 25 May 2020, completing the first phase of the redevelopment of the railway station. The following week the demolition of the old railway station building commenced, with the whole new building completed in June 2021.
On 29 July 2022, the Central England Co-operative opened a food branch at the station.
West Midlands Metro stop
As part of the Interchange project,
West Midlands Metro
The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmin ...
Line 1 was extended to the railway station with the addition of a new Metro stop. It was expected to be operational by 2020, however this was delayed until the stop opened on 17 September 2023.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Wolverhampton stationWolverhampton Interchange
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolverhampton Railway Station
Railway stations in Wolverhampton
Tram stops in Wolverhampton
DfT Category B stations
Former London and North Western Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1852
Railway stations served by CrossCountry
Railway stations served by Transport for Wales Rail
Railway stations served by Avanti West Coast
Railway stations served by West Midlands Trains
1852 establishments in England
Stations on the West Coast Main Line
Railway stations opened in 2021