General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Droitwich Spa, Wychavon England | ||||
Grid reference | SO892633 | ||||
Managed by | West Midlands Railway | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | DTW | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 1852 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 0.520 million | ||||
Interchange | 80,587 | ||||
2020/21 | 0.134 million | ||||
Interchange | 20,066 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.326 million | ||||
Interchange | 43,894 | ||||
2022/23 | 0.397 million | ||||
Interchange | 34,666 | ||||
2023/24 | 0.464 million | ||||
Interchange | 48,167 | ||||
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Droitwich Spa railway station serves the town of Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire,England. It is located just to the south-west of Droitwich Spa Junction of the Worcester to Leamington Spa Line and the Worcester to Birmingham New Street line. The station is managed by West Midlands Trains,who also operate all trains serving it.
Droitwich Spa railway station was opened in 1852 (then called simply 'Droitwich') as part of the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line by the Oxford,Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway,which was soon to come under the auspices of the Great Western Railway.
Plans for a new station began around 1892. [1] The Great Western Railway company put the construction of the new station out to tender in 1897 and the contractor was Mr. Bloxham. It was constructed on land given by John Corbett and the construction cost around £7,000 (equivalent to £1,000,000in 2023). [2] The platforms were 500 feet (150 m) long with sheltering verandahs in the station. The new station was opened on 3 June 1899 [3] and this fulfilled the demands of providing accommodation for 200,000 passengers annually using the 16 G.W.R. trains and 12 Midland Railway trains in each direction per day. It was in 1899 [4] that the 'Spa' suffix was added.
The station was linked into the Midland Railway's main line between Birmingham New Street and Gloucester by means of a short branch line to Stoke Works Junction,south of Bromsgrove. This also allowed trains from the Worcester direction to run to New Street (by means of running powers over MR metals) as well as the GWR station at Snow Hill. Originally built as a double line,it was singled in 1969 when Gloucester Power Signal Box took over control of the main line south of Barnt Green.
Before 2012 there was only a limited service (five trains each way) between New St and Worcester/Hereford. However,following the December timetable change on 9 December 2012,London Midland increased the frequency of services to Birmingham New Street to hourly in the afternoon,and bi-hourly in the mornings. [5] [6]
Droitwich Spa Junction is a railway junction located 250 metres (800 ft) north-east of the station.
The junction sees the Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove Line branch off from the main line - the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line. Part of this line is a surviving section of the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line and is these days used by trains heading towards Kidderminster, Stourbridge Junction and Birmingham Snow Hill. The branch meanwhile joins the main Birmingham to Bristol line at Stoke Works Junction, south of Bromsgrove - services over this line then continue via the famous Lickey Incline en route to Birmingham New Street.
Droitwich Spa signal box controls the junction and is located between the diverging lines. The whole of the junction is controlled by semaphore signals from the British Rail Western Region era. The box interfaces with the West Midlands Signal Control Centre, Stourbridge Desk (at Saltley) on the main line towards Kidderminster and West Midlands Signal Control Centre, Bromsgrove Desk (at Saltley) on the branch, using the Track Circuit Block system - the latter becomes a single line just beyond the junction and remains so until joining the main line at Stoke Works. To the south, the next box is located at Worcester Tunnel Junction, north of Worcester Shrub Hill, signalled via the Absolute Block system.
The service pattern from the station has varied somewhat over the years, particularly after most services via Kidderminster were diverted to New St in 1967 as part of the plans to close Snow Hill (the service via Bromsgrove subsequently becoming peak-hours only). Today though, travellers from the station once again have a choice of stations in Birmingham following the reopening of Snow Hill in 1995 and there are regular services on both routes into the city.
West Midlands Railway serve the station on both routes from Worcester to Birmingham, using the Snow Hill Lines via Kidderminster for services via Moor Street and Snow Hill, and the Cross-City Line after Bromsgrove on New Street bound services.
As of May 2023 the typical weekday off-peak service from the station is: [7] [8] [9]
Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line:
Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line:
On Sundays, the Worcester to Stratford via Moor Street service runs every hour, continuing eastbound to Stratford-upon-Avon via Shirley.
Services on the Snow Hill line are generally served by Class 172 DMUs and services on the Hereford line are served by Class 196 DMUs.
Birmingham Snow Hill, also known as Snow Hill station, is a railway station in Birmingham City Centre. It is one of the three main city-centre stations in Birmingham, along with Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street.
Jewellery Quarter station is a combined railway station and tram stop, situated in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, England. The station is served by West Midlands Trains, Chiltern Railways, and West Midlands Metro.
Smethwick Galton Bridge is a split-level railway station in Smethwick, West Midlands, England. It is at a point where two railways' lines cross on two levels. It has platforms on both lines, allowing interchange between them. The two low-level platforms serve the Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton Line, while the two high-level platforms serve the Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester Line. The high level line passes over the low level line at a right angle on a bridge. West Midlands Railway manages the station and operates most of its services, with others provided by Chiltern Railways and London Northwestern Railway.
The Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line is a railway line which runs from Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester via Stourbridge and Kidderminster in the West Midlands, England. It is one of the Snow Hill Lines, with trains operated by West Midlands Trains and Chiltern Railways using a variety of rolling stock including Class 172 and Class 168 diesel units. It is a future aspiration of Network Rail to electrify the entire line, as well as the Chiltern Main Line to London Marylebone.
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Olton railway station serves the Olton area of the town of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. The station is operated by West Midlands Trains. The entrance seen in the centre where the station's booking office is located leads into a tunnel which runs under the tracks providing an access staircase and lift to the island platform. The station also has a car park and bicycle racks.
Acocks Green railway station serves the Acocks Green area of Birmingham, in the West Midlands region of England. Pre-nationalisation a GWR station on their main line from London (Paddington) to Birkenhead (Woodside) the station is now served by West Midlands Railway, who manage the station.
Tyseley railway station serves the district of Tyseley in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is at the junction of the lines linking Birmingham with Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Small Heath railway station serves the areas of Small Heath and Sparkbrook in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The station is managed by West Midlands Trains, which runs all the services.
Worcester Foregate Street, opened by the Great Western Railway in 1860, is one of two railway stations that serve the city of Worcester, England; the other is Worcester Shrub Hill, which is located to the east. A third station, Worcestershire Parkway, is sited just outside of the city to the south-east. The station is managed by West Midlands Railway, who also operate services along with Great Western Railway.
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Rowley Regis railway station serves the town of Blackheath and the Rowley Regis area of Sandwell, in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line. The station is managed by West Midlands Railway, who provide the majority of train services; there are also occasional services provided by Chiltern Railways.
Langley Green railway station serves the Langley Green area of the town of Oldbury in Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is located on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line. The station is managed by West Midlands Trains, who provide the majority of train services; there are also occasional services provided by Chiltern Railways.
The Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line is a railway line in the West Midlands of England connecting Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove. The most notable feature on the line is the Lickey Incline, between Barnt Green and Bromsgrove.
The Snow Hill Lines is the collective name for the railway lines running through Birmingham Snow Hill, and Birmingham Moor Street stations in Birmingham, United Kingdom. They form an important part of the suburban rail network of Birmingham, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. All other lines to/through Birmingham use Birmingham New Street station. The Snow Hill lines carry around 20% of the daily rail services into Birmingham; the remainder use New Street.
Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway is a railway station located on the northern outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. It is on the North Warwickshire Line, adjacent to the A46.
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