Bordesley railway station explained

Bordesley
Symbol Location:gb
Symbol:rail
Borough:Bordesley, City of Birmingham
Country:England
Coordinates:52.4715°N -1.8766°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Manager:West Midlands Railway
Platforms:2
Tracks:3
Code:BBS
Zone:2
Classification:DfT category F2
Transit Authority:Transport for West Midlands
Opened:1855
Footnotes:Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:13

Bordesley railway station is a small railway station serving the area of Bordesley in Birmingham, England located between Birmingham Moor Street and Small Heath stations. The current minimal level of service at the station is provided by West Midlands Trains services between Whitlocks End and Kidderminster via . The station is the least used in the West Midlands county with only 9,088 passengers using it annually.

The single island platform is above street level, as the railway line here is on a viaduct. The only public access is from Coventry Road, directly underneath the railway bridge.

History

Bordesley station was opened in 1855 by the Great Western Railway on their main line from London (Paddington) to Birkenhead (Woodside). It was originally a two platform station, but was rebuilt as a four platform station with two island platforms when the line was upgraded to four tracks during 1915. The station once had extensive cattle sidings adjacent to and on Duddeston Viaduct. This viaduct was intended to link the line from Bordesley to the Derby Line but was left incomplete when it was realised that trains would be unable to serve Birmingham Curzon Street railway station, where rail services then terminated.[1] [2] The station still carries the painted lettering "BR(W) Bordesley Cattle Station", and "Bordesley Cattle Station GWR" from the time when, as part of the Great Western Railway and later British Rail's (Western) region, it was used to bring cattle from the countryside to the Bull Ring markets.[3]

The station was downgraded in the 1960s to minimal facilities and services, and one island platform was taken out of use.[1]

Services

Since May 2007, the station has been served by a single weekly parliamentary train in one direction only. Currently this is the 13:47 train from to which calls at Bordesley at 14:08 on Saturdays only.[4]

The station primarily serves as a match day stop for nearby St Andrew's stadium of Birmingham City Football Club, and additional services stop there when there are home fixtures.[1]

Possible future development

Bordesley station may be closed or relocated if the proposed Bordesley chords are constructed. These chords would connect the Camp Hill line to Birmingham Moor Street station, and would pass right over the site of the present station.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bordesley station. Warwickshire Railways. Warwickshire railways. 15 December 2014.
  2. Web site: Bordesley Station: Looking towards Moor Street station with the down and up relief island platforms on the left and the main down and up island platforms on the right. www.warwickshirerailways.com.
  3. Web site: Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Bordesley Station . Railaroundbirmingham.co.uk . 2010-09-26.
  4. Web site: Train timetables and schedules Bordesley. West Midlands Railway.
  5. Web site: £2 billion Midlands Rail Hub plans set out. Modern Railways . 1 April 2023 . 25 July 2019.