Dudley Port
Upper Level station
History
The station opened in 1852. Despite the name, and being located just 1.6 miles (2.6 km) north-east of the town centre of Dudley (which has not had its own railway station since 1964), Dudley Port station is not actually situated within the Borough of Dudley, but in Sandwell. The name Dudley Port emerged during the 19th century, due to the many warehouses and wharves being built along the Birmingham Canal. The area initially became known as Dudley's Port, before the title Dudley Port was adopted.
Dudley Port Station was originally known as Dudley Port High Level Station, as a Low Level Station was situated on the South Staffordshire line from Dudley to Walsall, which passes beneath.
High Level was dropped from the station's name when the Low Level station closed in 1964 as a result of the Beeching Axe.
The upper level was revamped in the mid-1980s and officially re-opened by West Midlands County councillor Gordon Morgan in 1989.
Today's usage
Services
Dudley Port is served by West Midlands Railway services between Walsall and Wolverhampton, under a franchise agreement with the Department for Transport.
During Monday–Saturday daytime, there is a train every half hour, which calls at all stations between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Birmingham New Street. On Sundays, there is typically one train per hour between Birmingham and Wolverhampton only and a morning peak service to Crewe which calls at all stations.
Three main West Midlands Railway express services used to call at this station - the first a morning peak service from Stafford to New Street, the second an evening peak service from Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury and the third the final service from Birmingham New Street to Crewe.
Low Level station
Dudley Port (Low Level) | |
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General information | |
Location | Tipton, Sandwell England |
Coordinates | 52°30′04″N 1°58′52″W / 52.501°N 1.981°W |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | South Staffordshire Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Key dates | |
1 April 1850 | Opened as Dudley Port railway station |
1964 | Closed |
History
The Low Level Station stood on the former South Staffordshire Line opened in 1850, which connected Dudley Port with Dudley railway station. The line had reasonable passenger usage until about the early 1880s, when it began to slump at several stations, leading to the line becoming a largely freight only operation in 1887. It remained open for goods traffic, which was considerable at this time, as the district had become highly industrialised in the Black Country's heyday. It closed in July 1964 as passenger services were phased out along the line due to the Beeching Axe and the blue brick station building was demolished three years later, although the railway remained open to goods trains until 1993.
Just to the north of Dudley Port Low Level was the junction for the connecting line to the GWR Snow Hill Line via Great Bridge. To the south was the junction for the short connecting line to the Stour Valley Line.
West Midlands Metro
Phase Two of the West Midlands Metro will see the line reopening to carry trams between Walsall, Dudley Port Lower Level, Dudley railway station and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. The closed section of the South Staffordshire Line through Dudley is under construction and was due to re-open in 2022–2023,. However due to delays and cost overruns the line is expected to open as far as Dudley by 2025. The section to Brierley Hill will begin construction after the first section is complete. Funding has not yet been secured for the final section to Merry Hill.
Reopening
West Midlands Metro Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension |
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Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Sandwell & Dudley | West Midlands Railway Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line |
Tipton | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Dudley | Great Western Railway Birmingham Snow Hill–Dudley Branch (1866–1964) |
Great Bridge South | ||
Dudley | South Staffordshire Railway Later LNWR, then LMS, finally BR South Staffs Line (1850–1964) |
Great Bridge North |
References
- ^ "Brief History of Tipton". Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ "Train Timetables and Schedules | Dudley Port". West Midlands Railway. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro Extension – Midland Metro Alliance". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.