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Kidderminster railway station

Coordinates: 52°23′02″N 2°14′20″W / 52.384°N 2.239°W / 52.384; -2.239
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Kidderminster
National Rail
Station frontage
General information
LocationKidderminster, Wyre Forest
England
Grid referenceSO838763
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byWest Midlands Trains
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeKID
ClassificationDfT category D
History
Opened1852
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 1.638 million
2019/20Decrease 1.530 million
2020/21Decrease 0.371 million
2021/22Increase 0.799 million
2022/23Increase 0.916 million
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail & Road

Kidderminster railway station is the main station serving the large town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England and the wider Wyre Forest district. The station is operated by West Midlands Trains, and is on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line. Regular commuter services run to Birmingham and Worcester. It shares its station approach with the adjacent Severn Valley Railway station.

History

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Kidderminster station opened with the extension of the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway from Worcester to Stourbridge on 1 May 1852. It became an important intermediate station on the line which became part of the West Midland Railway in 1860, which in turn amalgamated with the Great Western Railway and the South Wales Railway on 1 August 1863.[1]

The opening of the Severn Valley Railway in 1862 had no direct effect on Kidderminster because the line initially had only a south facing connection to Hartlebury, passengers wishing to use the line had to change there. The situation changed in 1878, when a north-facing connection was opened between Bewdley and Kidderminster, linking Kidderminster directly with the Severn Valley Line.[2]

Kidderminster station in 1963, with auto-train to Bewdley.

From about 1900, there was a brisk passenger trade of tourists and day trippers from the West Midlands conurbation.

Due to dwindling passenger numbers, the Severn Valley Line closed to through traffic in 1963. North of Bewdley, the line closed completely in early 1969 when Alveley colliery was shut down and freight traffic ceased.

Passenger services on the Kidderminster, Bewdley and Hartlebury section were withdrawn on 3 January 1970.[3]

The halt of traffic to Stourport power station in 1979, and Kidderminster to Foley Park British Sugar traffic in 1982 saw the end of regular British Rail services off the main line.

Station buildings

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The earliest station building was replaced by another in 1859. In 1863 the second building was destroyed by fire, and a third station building of a Mock Tudor design was built to replace it. This survived until 1968 when it was demolished owing to the effects of dry rot and replaced by British Rail in 1974 with a small utilitarian brick building.[4][5][6]

As passenger numbers grew, this building became inadequate, and funding for a new building was secured in February 2015,[7] with a new £4.3 million design announced in July 2017. Originally due to open in summer 2019, the new glass fronted building, which is twice the size of the previous one, was eventually opened in June 2020.[8][9]

Facilities

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There is a large car park for 400 cars, administered by West Midlands Trains, in part of the old goods yard between the two railway stations. The Severn Valley Railway has its own car park on the town centre side of its station.

In 2009 a footbridge (with lifts) was opened, transforming access between the platforms. Before this work, it was via the road overbridge.[10]

Prior to its demolition, the signal box (a short distance to the south of the station) was known as Kidderminster Junction. This controlled the junction to the Severn Valley Line until its closure in the 1970s.

Severn Valley Railway terminus

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The Severn Valley Railway's southern terminus shares the same station approach road and is known as Kidderminster Town to distinguish it from the National Rail station. This also reflects the Great Western Railway tradition of suffixing the station name with "Town" if it was closer to the main body of the town served than that of its competitor(s), which Kidderminster Town achieves to the tune of around 60 yards.

Services

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Station platforms.

All trains using the station are operated by West Midlands Railway as part of the Snow Hill Lines.[11][12]

The standard off peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

From September 2002 until May 2023, Chiltern Railways peak-hour services to and from London Marylebone terminated at Kidderminster.[13][14][15][16]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Hagley
or Blakedown
  West Midlands Railway
Stratford-Birmingham-Kidderminster-Worcester
Snow Hill Lines
  Hartlebury
or Droitwich Spa
  West Midlands Railway
Leamington-Worcester
 
Heritage Railways  Heritage railways
Interchange with Kidderminster Town on the Severn Valley Railway

References

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  1. ^ Boynton, John (1995). Rails Through The Hills, Birmingham - Stourbridge, Worcester - Malvern - Hereford. Mid England Books. ISBN 0-9522248-2-8.
  2. ^ John Boynton, The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, Mid England Books, Kidderminster, 2002, ISBN 0 954 0839 0 3
  3. ^ Boynton, John (1998). A Century of Railways Around Birmingham and the West Midlands, Volume Two, 1948 - 1972. Mid England Books. ISBN 0-9522248-5-2.
  4. ^ Kidderminster Station being rebuilt The Railway Magazine issue 806 June 1968 page 319
  5. ^ Regional News Rail issue 891 6 November 2019 page 26
  6. ^ Kidderminster & District Archaeological & Historical Society Building Record of Kidderminster Railway Station.
  7. ^ "Kidderminster station revamp to begin after £1.8m funding award". BBC News. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Plans for £4.3 million redevelopment of Kidderminster railway station revealed". Kidderminster Shuttle. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Kidderminster station building opens". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Delays to footbridge are 'major problem'". Kidderminster Shuttle. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Train timetables and schedules | Kidderminster". West Midlands Railway.
  12. ^ "Train times | Snow Hill Lines - Worcester to Birmingham Snow Hill, Solihull and Stratford upon Avon | 21 May until 9 December 2023". West Midlands Railway.
  13. ^ MP at launch of London train Worcester News 30 September 2002
  14. ^ Passengers advised new train timetables imminent BBC News 5 May 2023
  15. ^ Balancing enhancements with efficiency Modern Railways issue 896 May 2023 page 63
  16. ^ Chiltern re-times trains to retain extra midweek peak capacity Rail issue 983 17 May 2023 page 10

Bibliography

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52°23′02″N 2°14′20″W / 52.384°N 2.239°W / 52.384; -2.239