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The Stonebridge Railway was a railway line between Whitacre Junction and Hampton-in-Arden in Warwickshire, England, passing through Stonebridge. It had an intermediate station at Coleshill, which was renamed Maxstoke in 1923.
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The Stonebridge Railway was a railway line between Whitacre Junction and Hampton-in-Arden in Warwickshire, England, passing through Stonebridge. It had an intermediate station at Coleshill, which was renamed Maxstoke in 1923.
The railway opened on 12 August 1839 as part of the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway (B&DJR). [1] It was a key part of that company's route from the North Midlands and Yorkshire, to connect with the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) and the South East. The line to Birmingham Lawley Street opened on 10 February 1842. [2]
After a period of fierce competition between the B&DJR and the Midland Counties Railway (MCR) for the coal traffic to London (the MCR had a shorter route that joined with the L&BR at Rugby), the two merged, with the North Midland Railway, to form the Midland Railway. [3] As all the London traffic was now diverted on the former MCR route, the Stonebridge Railway lost all strategic importance and became in effect a minor branch line. When originally opened, the Stonebridge Railway was a double tracked main line, though the second running line was removed in 1843. This is believed to be the first "singling" (downgrading a railway to single track operation) in railway history.
Even after the line was singled, until February 1845, two of the three daily services each way carried through coaches to London. The daily service was reduced from three trains to two in 1859, and from May 1877 the service was reduced to a Parliamentary train service of a single morning train in each direction. This being the minimum level of service required by law. This lasted until 1917, when the passenger service was finally withdrawn as a wartime economy measure, while under government control (but not ownership) during the First World War. The line continued in use for freight until 1935 when it was officially closed, following a bridge failure in Packington. However, the track at the northern end remained in place, and was used as a siding for the storage of disabled wagons between the mid 1930s and 1951, when the track was finally removed. The Hampton end track had become a minor siding, and was lifted in 1963. [4]
Two of the most famous men in the history of the Midland Railway were associated with this line - Sir James Joseph Allport (who started his career as a traffic agent in Hampden in Arden), and Matthew Kirtley (who was once the locomotive superintendent of the B&DJR). Samuel Carter was solicitor. [5]
In June 2013 a £240 million to £280 million plan was proposed to re-open the Stonebridge Railway in order to link Coventry and Birmingham Airport to an interchange station on the proposed High Speed 2 London-Birmingham line. As of January 2014, the proposal has the support of Bob Ainsworth [6] and Christopher Pincher (Members of Parliament for Coventry North East and Tamworth), Paul Kehoe (chief executive of Birmingham Airport), Geoff Inskip, (chief executive of Centro), Birmingham City Council and Transport Minister Stephen Hammond. [7]
The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, also pledged in January 2014 to invest directly in the £50b billion HS2 project. China Railway Group had offered to build the connections from the proposed interchange in Birmingham to the city's airport and along to cities including Coventry and Peterborough. [8] The 7.3-mile (11.7 km) link would run from Hampton-in-Arden, near Solihull to Whitacre Junction, in North Warwickshire. The 15-mile (24 km) journey between Tamworth and Birmingham Airport takes 45 minutes by rail, but the "Whitacre rail link" would in theory reduce the journey time to 18 minutes. [9] As of 2014, no further development has been made.
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments). [10]
The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway in Derby at what become known as the Tri Junct Station. The three later merged to become the Midland Railway.
Birmingham International is a railway station located in Solihull in the West Midlands, to the east of the city of Birmingham, England.
Warwickshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon and Victorian novelist George Eliot,, at Nuneaton. Other significant towns include Rugby, Leamington Spa, Bedworth, Kenilworth and Atherstone. The county offers a mix of historic towns and large rural areas. It is a popular destination for international and domestic tourists to explore both medieval and more recent history.
Hampton in Arden is a village and civil parish located in the Forest of Arden in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. Hampton in Arden was part of Warwickshire until the 1974 boundary changes. It lies within the Meriden Gap area of countryside between Solihull and Coventry. Hampton in Arden is a typical Arden village, but is now very much a highly affluent commuter settlement for nearby Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry. In 1968 the central part of the village was designated a Conservation Area, which is an "area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". Its population in the 2001 census was 1,787, increasing to 1,834 at the 2011 Census.
Birmingham is a major transport hub, due in part to its location in central England. The city is well connected by rail, road, and water. Public transport and key highways in the city are overseen by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM).
Coleshill is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole, on which it stands. It had a population of 6,897 in the 2021 Census, and is situated 10 miles (16 km) east-northeast of Birmingham, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) southeast of Sutton Coldfield, 11 miles (18 km) south of Tamworth, 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Coventry by road and 13 miles (21km) west of Nuneaton.
Water Orton is a village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire borough of Warwickshire in the West Midlands, England near the River Tame. It is located between Castle Bromwich and Coleshill, and borders the West Midlands metropolitan county boundary to the north, west and south. At the 2001 Census, the population was 3,573, falling to 3,444 at the 2011 Census. In the 2021 Census the population slightly rose to 3,487.
The Birmingham–Peterborough line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham, Leicester and Peterborough, via Nuneaton, Oakham and Stamford
The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station. It now forms part of the main route between the West Country and the North East.
Whitacre Heath is a small village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. It is one of 'The Whitacres' - Whitacre Heath, Nether Whitacre and Over Whitacre. Whitacre Heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish. Whitacre Heath is newer and of 19th-century origin. It stems from the early days of railways in the 1830s, and from later developments by Joseph Chamberlain and the Water Department of the City of Birmingham. The Stonebridge Railway was opened on 12 August 1839 to provide a link between the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the London and Birmingham Railway at Hampton in Arden, via Stonebridge. The line became redundant in the 1930s and the track bed is now a footpath for walkers. There are Victorian brick buildings for the management of drinking water, at Whitacre water works, which were originally associated with public works by the City of Birmingham. The village is now largely residential and agricultural.
Water Orton railway station serves Water Orton in Warwickshire, near Coleshill, England. It is owned by Network Rail, and managed by West Midlands Trains. However, no West Midlands Trains stop there; it is only served by CrossCountry services.
Hampton-in-Arden railway station serves the village of Hampton-in-Arden in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the West Coast Main Line between Coventry and Birmingham. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains.
The North Warwickshire Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It runs from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, now the southern terminus of the line, although until 1976 the line continued to Cheltenham as part of the Great Western Railway route from Birmingham to Bristol.
The Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line is a railway line in the West Midlands of England. It is a loop off the West Coast Main Line (WCML) between Rugby and Stafford, via the West Midlands cities of Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The direct route between Rugby and Stafford is the Trent Valley Line.
Coleshill Parkway is a railway station at Hams Hall on the Birmingham to Peterborough railway line, serving Coleshill in Warwickshire, England. Sitting on the site of the former Coleshill station which closed in 1968, the current station was opened in 2007. Unusually it is not owned by Network Rail. It is managed by West Midlands Trains train operating company (TOC) although all rail services are operated by CrossCountry.
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.
Kingsbury railway station was a railway station which served the village of Kingsbury in Warwickshire, England.
Lawley Street railway station was opened in Birmingham, England on 10 February 1842, by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway.
Maxstoke railway station opened in 1839 as Coleshill by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway on its original route from Derby to Hampton-in-Arden meeting the London and Birmingham Railway for London.
Whitacre Junction railway station was opened in 1864 by the Midland Railway. It served the village of Whitacre Heath, Warwickshire, England.