General information | |||||
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Location | Polesworth, North Warwickshire England | ||||
Grid reference | SK264032 | ||||
Managed by | London Northwestern Railway | ||||
Platforms | 2 (1 in use) | ||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | PSW | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 1847 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 186 | ||||
2019/20 | 96 | ||||
2020/21 | 22 | ||||
2021/22 | 136 | ||||
2022/23 | 188 | ||||
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Polesworth railway station serves the village of Polesworth in Warwickshire,England. It is situated on the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line.
Since 2005,only the northbound platform has been accessible to passengers due to the removal of the footbridge,and the station has been served only by a parliamentary train service of one northbound train a day. In 2018/19 it was the least used station in Warwickshire and in the West Midlands and the ninth least used station in Great Britain. [1]
Polesworth station was opened with the line on 15 September 1847 by the London and North Western Railway. [2]
The line through the station was originally double track,but was widened to quadruple track between 1901 and 1903. A large gap exists between the tracks in the middle of the station,because space was made for a planned island platform which was never built. However,there was a signal box in the space until it was closed in 1990. [3]
In the decades before 2004,the station was served only by an infrequent local stopping service which ran between Stafford and Rugby. When the Coventry to Nuneaton Line was reopened to passenger trains in 1987,the service was diverted to terminate at Coventry instead of Rugby. The May 1974 timetable shows six daily trains between Stafford and Rugby in each direction,calling at Polesworth. The May 2000 timetable shows the service reduced to five daily trains between Stafford and Coventry. [3]
Between May 2004 and December 2005,Polesworth station was closed due to the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line. [2] During this period,the footbridge to platform 2 was removed by contractors and was not replaced. Thus,since the station reopened,it has received only a single daily parliamentary service by London Northwestern Railway,in the northbound direction only. [4] This consists of a Northampton to Crewe train,calling at 06:48 Monday to Saturday. [5]
In 2005 the Strategic Rail Authority called for Polesworth station to be closed,in its "West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy",noting that each train that calls there receives on average fewer than one passenger. [6]
On 21 July 1947,an express train from Euston to Liverpool derailed at speed on a curve around one mile south of the station,resulting in five deaths and nineteen serious injuries,with another 45 sustaining minor injuries. The inquiry blamed the accident on the poor condition of the track,which was near the end of its life and in need of renewal;a major contributing factor was the backlog of track maintenance and renewals which had built up due to the Second World War. [7]
Another derailment of a passenger train occurred at the station on 19 November 1951,which overturned the locomotive and caused minor injuries to two people. This was blamed on the driver missing a caution signal,and then running over a crossover between the fast and slow lines at excessive speed. [8]
In July 2019 Warwickshire County Council's Draft Rail Strategy for 2019–2034 proposed that a new station called Polesworth Parkway could be opened at a different location in proximity to the A5 and B5000 roads,which if approved could go ahead between 2027 and 2033. No mention is made of what could happen to the existing station. [9]
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom,connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham,Manchester,Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe,carrying a mixture of intercity rail,regional rail,commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 400 miles (644 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1881. With additional lines deviating to Northampton,Birmingham,Manchester,Liverpool and Edinburgh,this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects the WCML to Edinburgh. However,the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London,Coventry,Birmingham,Manchester,Liverpool and Glasgow,with many more smaller commuter stations,as well as providing links to more rural towns.
Crewe railway station serves the railway town of Crewe,in Cheshire,England. It opened in 1837 and is one of the most historically significant railway stations in the world.
Rugby railway station serves the market town of Rugby in Warwickshire,England. The current station dates from 1885;two previous stations dating from 1838 and 1840 respectively,existed at locations to the west of the current one. It has been Rugby's only station,since the closure of the former Rugby Central station in 1969,on the now-abandoned Great Central Main Line route through the town. Between 1950 and 1970,the station was known as Rugby Midland before reverting to its original title. The station underwent an extensive remodelling between 2006 and 2008;new platforms were added and a new ticket office and entrance building were constructed. The original Victorian part of the station was retained in the upgrade.
The Nuneaton rail crash occurred on 6 June 1975,on the West Coast Main Line just south of Nuneaton railway station in Warwickshire,England,United Kingdom.
Leamington Spa railway station serves the town of Leamington Spa,in Warwickshire,England. It is situated on Old Warwick Road towards the southern edge of the town centre. It is a major stop on the Chiltern Main Line between London and Birmingham,and is the southern terminus of a branch line to Coventry.
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Milton Keynes and surrounding parts of Bedfordshire,Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire (England). The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast intercity services,and by West Midlands Trains regional services.
Coventry railway station is the main railway station serving the city of Coventry,West Midlands,England. The station is on the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line (WCML);it is also located at the centre of a junction where the lines to Nuneaton and to Leamington converge. It is situated on the southern edge of the city-centre,just outside the Coventry ring road,about 250 yards to the south of junction 6.
Nuneaton railway station serves the market town of Nuneaton in Warwickshire,England. The station is managed by West Midlands Trains. It is served by three railway lines:the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML),the Birmingham-Leicester-Peterborough line and the Coventry to Nuneaton branch line. The station was known,during the period 1924–1969,as Nuneaton Trent Valley,to distinguish it from the now closed Nuneaton Abbey Street station;many local people still refer to it as Trent Valley.
Tamworth is a split-level railway station which serves the market town of Tamworth in Staffordshire,England. It is an interchange between two main lines;the Cross Country Route and the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML). It has four platforms:Two low-level platforms on the WCML,and,at a right-angle to,and passing over these,are two high-level platforms served by the Cross Country Route. Historically there were chords connecting the two lines,but there is no longer any rail connection between them.
Marston Green railway station is a station serving Chelmsley Wood and Marston Green in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull and the Birmingham suburbs of Lea Hall and Sheldon in the West Midlands County,England. The station,and all trains serving it,are operated by West Midlands Trains.
Lichfield Trent Valley is one of two railway stations that serve the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire,England;the other being Lichfield City in the city centre. It is a split-level station:low level platforms serve the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line,with a single high level platform being the northern terminus of the Cross-City Line.
Stafford railway station is a major interchange railway station in Stafford,Staffordshire,England,and is the second busiest railway station in Staffordshire,after Stoke-on-Trent. The station serves the market and county town,as well as surrounding villages. The station lies on the junction of the Trent Valley line,the Birmingham Loop/Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line,and the West Coast Main Line.
Penkridge railway station is a railway station serving the village of Penkridge in Staffordshire,England.
The Coventry to Nuneaton Line is a railway line linking Coventry and Nuneaton in the West Midlands of England. The line has a passenger service. It is also used by through freight trains,and freight trains serving facilities on the route.
Atherstone is a railway station serving the market town of Atherstone in Warwickshire,England. It is on the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line,exactly 102 miles (164 km) from London Euston station.
Bedworth railway station serves the town of Bedworth in Warwickshire,England. It is on the Coventry to Nuneaton Line 6.25 miles (10 km) north of Coventry railway station. The station,and all trains serving it,are operated by West Midlands Trains.
Rugeley Trent Valley is a railway station serving the market town 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 Valley Trading Estate and located close to the River Trent. West Midlands Trains operate the station,and all trains serving it.
Stechford railway station serves the Stechford area of Birmingham,England on Victoria Road,just off Station Road,which is part of the A4040 Birmingham outer ring road. The station and all trains serving it are operated by West Midlands Trains. It lies at the junction between the Birmingham to Coventry line and the predominantly freight-only Stechford-Aston spur.
The Trent Valley line is a railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England,forming part of the West Coast Main Line. The line is 51 miles (82 km) long and is named after the River Trent which it follows. It was built to provide a direct route from London to North West England and Scotland,avoiding the slower route via Birmingham,which is congested and 7.75 miles (12.47 km) longer.
The Coventry to Leamington Line is a railway line linking the city of Coventry with the town of Leamington Spa. The line was opened in 1844 by the London and Birmingham Railway,as far as Milverton. The line was extended to Leamington Spa Avenue in 1851. A connecting line to Berkswell opened in 1884.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Atherstone | London Northwestern Railway Northampton to Crewe Limited Service | Tamworth |