| Willenhall Bilston Street | |
| Status: | Disused |
| Borough: | Willenhall, Metropolitan Borough of Walsall |
| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 52.5822°N -2.0534°W |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Platforms: | 2 |
| Original: | Grand Junction Railway |
| Pregroup: | London and North Western Railway |
| Postgroup: | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Years1: | 1837 |
| Events1: | Opened[1] |
| Years2: | 1965 |
| Events2: | Closed |
Willenhall Bilston Street railway station was a station built on the Grand Junction Railway in 1837.[2] It served the town of Willenhall, and was located just to the south of the town centre. It was one of two railway stations in the town - the other being Willenhall Stafford Street.
The station is expected to reopen in 2025.
The station closed in 1965, and there is little evidence of the former station's existence at the site. The lines through the station are in use today as part of the Walsall–Wolverhampton line.
There were proposals within the West Midlands Local Transport plan to reopen the station for passenger traffic, but these were shelved.In December 2016, as part of the New Station Fund 2 project, the West Midlands Combined Authority put in proposals to reopen the station to passenger services.[3] [4] [5]
In September 2017, the West Midlands Combined Authority proposed that the station along with would reopen by 2024 as part of a £4 billion transport plan.[6] [7]
In March 2018, the station was awarded funding to reopen and would be the first time Willenhall has had a rail connection in over 40 years. The then Transport minister Chris Grayling confirmed that it will reopen.[8]
The new station will now be constructed on the Wolverhampton side of Bilston Street.
Planning applications for the two stations on the line were formally submitted in March 2020 and were granted permission in October 2020.[9] [10] The station was planned to reopen to passengers in 2024.[11] [12] now expected in 2025.