Bescot Stadium railway station serves the

Bescot Bescot is an area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is served by Bescot Stadium railway station, adjacent to which is Bescot depot where locomotives are maintained. The Banks's Stadium was built in 1990 for Walsall F.C. The area ...

area of

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

in the

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. (The station is located in the borough of Sandwell, although it can only be reached from within the borough of Walsall.) The station, and most trains serving it are operated by

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 ...

with some services being operated by

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 ...

History

An earlier station was opened nearby as ''Bescot Bridge'' in 1837 by 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 ...

but was later renamed . A station was subsequently opened as Bescot on the current site on 1 May 1850, it was renamed to Bescot Junction in August 1850. The line through the station was electrified in 1966 as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme. The actual energization of the line from Coventry to Walsall through Aston took place on 15 August 1966. It was renamed ''Bescot Stadium'' in 1990 in order to serve

Bescot Stadium Bescot Stadium, also known as the Poundland Bescot Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Walsall, England, and the current home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989–90, by GMI Construction, with a reporte ...

, the newly built home of

Walsall Football Club Walsall Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflects ...

. The station was re-opened on 11 September 2007 after a short period where it was closed for refurbishment. Whilst closed, no services called at the station, but trains continued to pass through.

Incidents

On 8 December 1854 a

South Staffordshire Railway The South Staffordshire Railway (SSR) was authorised in 1847 to build a line from Dudley in the West Midlands of England through Walsall and Lichfield to a junction with the Midland Railway on the way to Burton upon Trent, with authorised share ...

passenger train from Walsall, hauled by a

LNWR 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 Lond ...

engine struck the corner of a goods waggon, which was projecting from a siding towards the main line. The wagon then struck the engine's tender, and four of the following carriages, derailing and badly damaging them. One passenger died and over 20 more were in injured.

Services

Bescot Stadium station is on the

Walsall Line The Chase Line is a suburban railway Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. ...

between

Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti West Coast services from , and vi ...

and

. The typical Monday-Saturday daytime service sees three trains per hour in each direction. Southbound via

there is one service per hour to

London Euston Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city rail ...

and two stopping services per hour to

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 ...

; with some services extended to/from

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

. Northbound, three trains per hour operate to

with one continuing to

Rugeley Trent Valley Rugeley Trent Valley is a railway station located on the outskirts of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations serving Rugeley, the other being Rugeley Town. It is on the eastern side of the town close to the Rugeley Trent ...

. On Sundays and during the evenings, services are reduced. Services are usually operated by Class 350 EMU or Class 323 EMU. Services to/from

are operated using Class 170 DMU. The station footbridge offers views of

Bescot Yard Bescot Yard is a Rail yard, railway yard in Bescot, a suburb of Walsall in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, operated by DB Cargo UK. The yard is the major freight yard of the region, handling all of the rail freight movements and most ...

, and its freight movements.

Bescot TMD Bescot TMD is a locomotive traction maintenance depot in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated adjacent to Bescot Stadium railway station, Bescot Stadium station, the depot with code BS is currently operated by DB Schenker ...

is adjacent to the station. Access to the station is via Bescot Crescent (where there is a car park) and then a footpath which passes underneath the

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at t ...

and over the River Tame, then an overbridge. London Midland proposed the closure of the ticket office, but this request was overruled in September 2012 by the Transport Minister."London Midland ticket office closure plans overruled"
'BBC News'' article 17 September 2012

References

External links

Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Bescot Stadium railway station
{{West Midlands railway stations, open Railway stations in Sandwell DfT Category E stations Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1837 Railway stations served by West Midlands Trains