Witton railway station, opened in 1876, serves the Witton area of the city of Birmingham, England. It is situated on the Chase Line, part of the former Grand Junction Railway which opened in 1837. The line was electrified in 1966, as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme;[1] the line from Coventry to Walsall was energised on 15 August 1966.[2] The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains.
Witton  | |||||
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Witton, Birmingham England | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°30′43″N 1°52′59″W / 52.512°N 1.883°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SP079904 | ||||
| Managed by | West Midlands Railway | ||||
| Transit authority | Transport for West Midlands | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | WTT | ||||
| Fare zone | 2 | ||||
| Classification | DfT category E | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1876 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  0.344 million | ||||
| 2019/20 |  0.328 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 35,360 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.169 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.191 million | ||||
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The station sits above Witton Road, the A4040 Outer Ring Road, as the railway line here is on an embankment. It is the closest station to Villa Park, home of Aston Villa F.C. and is advertised as the station 'for Villa Park' on station signage. During Randy Lerner’s ownership of Aston Villa, there had been discussions on changing the name of Witton station to Villa Park, as is the case with West Bromwich Albion's local station, The Hawthorns. Aston Villa's former CEO, Bruce Langham, said that the former West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (Centro) were amenable to the idea as long as it is done at the expense of the club. No action has yet been taken.[3]
Facilities
editThe station is no longer staffed, its ticket office having been closed by London Midland in 2013.[4] Tickets must now be purchased in advance, or from a self-service ticket machine on platform 2, or on the train. Waiting accommodation is provided in the brick buildings on both platforms, whilst train running information is given via timetable posters, CIS screens, help points and automatic announcements. Step-free access to both platforms is available via ramps from street level.[5]
Services
editWitton is served by trains between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Birmingham New Street, operating every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday daytimes and every 60 minutes on Sundays.[6][7][8] These services are operated by Class 350 Electric multiple units. Extra services are run before and after matches or events at Villa Park on matchdays and event days with services northbound to Rugeley Trent Valley and shuttles operated by Class 323s to/from Birmingham New Street.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands Railway | ||||
| Tame Bridge Parkway or Perry Barr | West Midlands Railway Rugeley - Walsall - Birmingham Limited service |
Aston or Duddeston | ||
| Terminus | West Midlands Railway Witton - Birmingham New Street shuttles Matchdays and event days only |
Birmingham New Street |
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Minutes of meeting" (PDF). Aston Villa Supporters Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "Ticket office closures could be first of manyCampaign for Better Transport article 17 September 2012; Retrieved 9 June 2017
- ^ Witton (West Midlands) station facilities National Rail Enquiries
- ^ "Train Timetables and Schedules | Witton (West Midlands)". 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.
External links
edit- Train times and station information for Witton railway station from National Rail
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Witton railway station
- Railways of Warwickshire entry
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