| Barlaston | |
| Symbol Location: | gb |
| Symbol: | rail |
| Borough: | Barlaston, Stafford |
| Country: | England |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Manager: | West Midlands Railway[1] |
| Platforms: | 2 |
| Code: | BRT |
| Classification: | DfT category F2 |
| Years: | 17 April 1848 |
| Events: | Opened |
| Years1: | 23 May 2004 |
| Events1: | Services withdrawn |
Barlaston railway station served the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, England. This station was opened on 17 April 1848 and is on the first line opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on that date. At some times it was called Barlaston and Tittensor after the slightly more distant village of Tittensor.
Trains no longer stop at Barlaston. The to local service was withdrawn when the route was temporarily closed for major refurbishment on 23 May 2004 as part of the West Coast Main Line modernisation scheme and never reinstated. Passengers are now served by bus service No 100 operated by D&G Bus,[2] which acts as the station's official rail replacement bus service, on which valid rail tickets (including advance purchase tickets) to/from and Barlaston are officially accepted. Access to the platforms is no longer possible as the station has been fenced off.
Barlaston is not included as a stop on the – service operated by West Midlands Trains. The new franchise, West Midlands Trains may see the station reopened to passenger services.[3] [4]
Barlaston is mentioned in the ghost or parliamentary train list maintained by Ghost Train Hunters enthusiasts group. The North Staffs Rail Promotion Group campaign for the restoration of the train service continues.
The Department for Transport stated that the rail replacement service would continue whilst it sought a "sustainable solution" to the demand for the restoration of train services when it awarded the West Midlands Rail franchise in 2018. As from April 2021 it funds this rail replacement service in accordance with Passenger Service Level Commitment No 2 of 2008. The bustitution is currently in its nineteenth year, allegedly the longest running scheduled rail replacement in history.
Plans to officially close to passengers, and reopen, were planned for May 2021. However no Notice of Closure for Wedgwood has been published and there is no service at Barlaston. No notice of closure had been issued for Barlaston.