Aston railway station
Encyclopedia
Aston railway station serves the districts of Aston
and Nechells
in Birmingham
, England
. The passenger entrance is on Lichfield Road.
The station is situated adjacent to and above the Lichfield Road (A5127), crossed by a bridge as the railway line, part of the original Grand Junction Railway
, opened in 1837, is on an embankment
. The line also crosses the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
, just south of Lichfield Road, on a bridge which is all that remains of a longer viaduct of ten arches, described as "one of the most beautiful structures on the line of the Grand Junction".
The section of the viaduct crossing Lichfield Road, immediately south of the station, was replaced by a steel bridge in 1906.
from Perry Barr through Aston to its terminus at Vauxhall, was dictated by the refusal of James Watt
junior, the tenant of Aston Hall
and son of the renowned engineer, to allow the railway to encroach upon Aston Park in the grounds of the Hall as planned in the Grand Junction's Act of 1833. The line was originally intended to enter Birmingham through a mile-long tunnel under the high ground on which the park is situated. In clause IV of a second Act of 1834, the Grand Junction was forbidden from
In 1846, the Grand Junction was one of several railways which were merged and incorporated into the London and North Western Railway
(LNWR). Aston was opened by the LNWR in 1854 and became a junction in 1862 when a line was opened to by the same railway.
In 1880 the LNWR opened a line from Aston to on the Birmingham to line which also gave access to the Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon Company's works (later Metro-Cammell) at Saltley, reached by a short branch from what the LNWR termed Washwood Heath
Junction at the point where the Aston-Stechford line passed over the Midland Railway
from Birmingham to Derby. The new line was also used for the Wolverhampton portions of some London expresses and also to provide through carriages between Euston and Walsall.
In the same year, the LNWR opened a line for freight traffic from Aston to Windsor Street goods depot. The latter line closed in 1980. The LNWR's Aston locomotive depot ("Aston Shed") was opened in 1883 in the area between the Aston to Birmingham and the Aston to Stechford lines and with an entrance on Long Acre, Nechells
. It was closed in 1965, by then under British Railways ownership.
The station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. It then passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation
was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways
on behalf of the West Midlands PTE
, for whom British Rail
had been running the trains since the PTE's inception.
In 2011, London Midland
, the current operators of the station, proposed a major reduction in the opening hours of the ticket office, with complete closure at weekends.
In preparation for electrification, Aston's two mechanical signal boxes, Aston No. 1 and No. 2, were closed, semaphore
signalling was replaced by multiple-aspect colour light signals and control transferred to the power signal box at Birmingham New Street.
Electrification of the line to Sutton and Lichfield was completed in 1992 as part of the modernisation of the Cross-City Line.
in each direction, running every day. Most trains provided through carriages to via and Lichfield
, dividing at Bescot.
The London Midland Region timetable dated 10 September 1951 shows an irregular interval service of approximately hourly trains to and from Walsall and a similar service to Lichfield City via Sutton, with some trains running only as far as Four Oaks (tables 68 and 69). In the Summer 1963 timetable, by which time diesel multiple units were operating on both routes, there was a regular-interval service pattern throughout the day: on weekdays every hour to Walsall and Rugeley Town, and every 30 minutes to Sutton and Lichfield, with occasional trains still terminating at Four Oaks.
After electrification, services to Walsall were operated by Class AM4 (later re-designated British Rail Class 304
) electric multiple units. The 1970-1971 London Midland timetable (Table 9) shows a weekdays only service of regular-interval hourly trains throughout the day, augmented at peak periods with additional services. There was also one service, originating at Walsall, which left Aston at 0717 for Coventry via Stechford. (There was no corresponding service in the Walsall direction). The Sutton and Lichfield service was largely unchanged from 1963 on weekdays but there was now no Sunday service.
The above patterns applied also to trains to and from Birmingham New Street, where all trains from Aston to Walsall and Four Oaks or Lichfield originated.
Following the introduction of the Cross-City Line in 1978, Aston gained through trains to and from Longbridge via Birmingham New Street. The basic pattern was Lichfield to Longbridge and vice versa hourly throughout the day Monday-Saturday, with additional trains running from Four Oaks to Longbridge and vice versa at 15 minute intervals. The were also additional trains to and from Redditch
at peak times. On Sundays, Aston was served by a 30-minute frequency of trains to and from Four Oaks and Longbridge. Trains were operated by British Rail Class 108
diesel multiple units. The Walsall service remained basically unchanged from 1970–1971, with no Sunday service.
to Redditch and the Walsall Line, from Wolverhampton
to Walsall
via Birmingham New Street
. In the evenings, services for the Chase Line call Aston.
Six services operate on the Cross-City Line in each direction every hour which call Aston. Services to Birmingham New Street terminate at either Longbridge
or Redditch, with four services an hour to the former and two to the latter. Northwards, there are three destinations on the Cross-City Line served by trains from Aston. Two of the six services run the full length of the line to terminate at Lichfield Trent Valley, two go to Lichfield City
and the other two only venture as far as Four Oaks
.
The Walsall line is served by fewer trains: there are two in each direction every hour, both of which call all stations between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Birmingham New Street.
Passenger services are operated by London Midland using either Class 323
electrical multiple units on the Cross-City Line and the Walsall Line, and Class 170 diesel multiple unit
s on the Chase Line
to Rugeley
.
pass the station.
Aston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
and Nechells
Nechells
Nechells is an area in inner-city Birmingham, England, with a population of 27,969 . It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centre, which are not part of the historic district of Nechells as such...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The passenger entrance is on Lichfield Road.
The station is situated adjacent to and above the Lichfield Road (A5127), crossed by a bridge as the railway line, part of the original Grand Junction Railway
Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
, opened in 1837, is on an embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
. The line also crosses the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is a canal of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in the West Midlands of England. Its purpose was to provide a link between the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and thereby connect Birmingham to London via the Oxford Canal....
, just south of Lichfield Road, on a bridge which is all that remains of a longer viaduct of ten arches, described as "one of the most beautiful structures on the line of the Grand Junction".
The section of the viaduct crossing Lichfield Road, immediately south of the station, was replaced by a steel bridge in 1906.
History
The route of the Grand Junction Railway, sweeping in a wide arcArc
Arc may refer to:-Mathematics:*Arc , a segment of a differentiable curve*Arc , a particular type of set of points of a projective plane*Arcminute, a measure used for angles, equal to 1/60th of a degree...
from Perry Barr through Aston to its terminus at Vauxhall, was dictated by the refusal of James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
junior, the tenant of Aston Hall
Aston Hall
Aston Hall is a municipally owned Jacobean-style mansion in Aston, Birmingham, England. Washington Irving used it as the model for Bracebridge Hall in his stories in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon.-History:...
and son of the renowned engineer, to allow the railway to encroach upon Aston Park in the grounds of the Hall as planned in the Grand Junction's Act of 1833. The line was originally intended to enter Birmingham through a mile-long tunnel under the high ground on which the park is situated. In clause IV of a second Act of 1834, the Grand Junction was forbidden from
- enter(ing) upon or into, take, injure or damage, for the purposes of this Act...any Part of a certain Park lying within the parish of Aston-juxta-Birmingham in the County of Warwick, and Handsworth in the County of Stafford, known by the name of Aston Park...
In 1846, the Grand Junction was one of several railways which were merged and incorporated into the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR). Aston was opened by the LNWR in 1854 and became a junction in 1862 when a line was opened to by the same railway.
In 1880 the LNWR opened a line from Aston to on the Birmingham to line which also gave access to the Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon Company's works (later Metro-Cammell) at Saltley, reached by a short branch from what the LNWR termed Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England...
Junction at the point where the Aston-Stechford line passed over the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
from Birmingham to Derby. The new line was also used for the Wolverhampton portions of some London expresses and also to provide through carriages between Euston and Walsall.
In the same year, the LNWR opened a line for freight traffic from Aston to Windsor Street goods depot. The latter line closed in 1980. The LNWR's Aston locomotive depot ("Aston Shed") was opened in 1883 in the area between the Aston to Birmingham and the Aston to Stechford lines and with an entrance on Long Acre, Nechells
Nechells
Nechells is an area in inner-city Birmingham, England, with a population of 27,969 . It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centre, which are not part of the historic district of Nechells as such...
. It was closed in 1965, by then under British Railways ownership.
The station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. It then passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
on behalf of the West Midlands PTE
West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
, for whom British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
had been running the trains since the PTE's inception.
In 2011, London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
, the current operators of the station, proposed a major reduction in the opening hours of the ticket office, with complete closure at weekends.
Electrification and Resignalling
Apart from the Sutton Coldfield branch, all of the routes passing through Aston were electrified in 1966 as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme. The actual energization of the line from Coventry to Walsall through Aston took place on 15 August 1966.In preparation for electrification, Aston's two mechanical signal boxes, Aston No. 1 and No. 2, were closed, semaphore
Semaphore
A semaphore telegraph, optical telegraph, shutter telegraph chain, Chappe telegraph, or Napoleonic semaphore is a system of conveying information by means of visual signals, using towers with pivoting shutters, also known as blades or paddles. Information is encoded by the position of the...
signalling was replaced by multiple-aspect colour light signals and control transferred to the power signal box at Birmingham New Street.
Electrification of the line to Sutton and Lichfield was completed in 1992 as part of the modernisation of the Cross-City Line.
Early Days
In January 1858 there were eight trains from Aston (originating in Birmingham) to Wolverhampton via Bescot Junction and Willenhall, the first at 08:21 and the last at 21:11 on weekdays. In the opposite direction, on weekdays, nine trains from Wolverhampton arrived at Aston between 08:51 and 22:25. The Sunday service consisted of six trains in each direction. The timetable shows one "government" or Parliamentary trainParliamentary train
A Parliamentary train or Parly is, nowadays, a British English term for a train that operates a Parliamentary service - that is to say a token service to a given station, thus maintaining a legal fiction that either the station or, in some cases, the whole line is open, although in reality the...
in each direction, running every day. Most trains provided through carriages to via and Lichfield
Lichfield City railway station
Lichfield City railway station serves the city of Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. It is situated towards the northern end of the Cross-City Line 28 km north east of Birmingham New Street...
, dividing at Bescot.
The Twentieth Century
In the LNWR timetable dated October 3 1921, the service to and from Lichfield City (the extension from Sutton Coldfield to Lichfield was opened in 1884) is shown as roughly hourly on weekdays, with additional trains terminating at Four Oaks approximately every 30 minutes. On Sundays five trains ran to and from Sutton. Trains to Wolverhampton and Walsall ran at irregular intervals on weekdays, with service of five trains to and from Walsall on Sundays. An interesting service was the New Street to New Street "circular" via Aston, , and , with two trains completing the full anti-clockwise circuit, but only one in the opposite direction. Most clockwise trains finished their journey at Vauxhall and . There was no Sunday service.The London Midland Region timetable dated 10 September 1951 shows an irregular interval service of approximately hourly trains to and from Walsall and a similar service to Lichfield City via Sutton, with some trains running only as far as Four Oaks (tables 68 and 69). In the Summer 1963 timetable, by which time diesel multiple units were operating on both routes, there was a regular-interval service pattern throughout the day: on weekdays every hour to Walsall and Rugeley Town, and every 30 minutes to Sutton and Lichfield, with occasional trains still terminating at Four Oaks.
After electrification, services to Walsall were operated by Class AM4 (later re-designated British Rail Class 304
British Rail Class 304
The British Rail Class 304 electric multiple units were built for suburban use on the first phases of the West Coast Main Line electrification between Crewe and Manchester/Liverpool/Rugby. Originally classed as AM4 units, they later became Class 304 under the TOPS numbering system, and could be...
) electric multiple units. The 1970-1971 London Midland timetable (Table 9) shows a weekdays only service of regular-interval hourly trains throughout the day, augmented at peak periods with additional services. There was also one service, originating at Walsall, which left Aston at 0717 for Coventry via Stechford. (There was no corresponding service in the Walsall direction). The Sutton and Lichfield service was largely unchanged from 1963 on weekdays but there was now no Sunday service.
The above patterns applied also to trains to and from Birmingham New Street, where all trains from Aston to Walsall and Four Oaks or Lichfield originated.
Following the introduction of the Cross-City Line in 1978, Aston gained through trains to and from Longbridge via Birmingham New Street. The basic pattern was Lichfield to Longbridge and vice versa hourly throughout the day Monday-Saturday, with additional trains running from Four Oaks to Longbridge and vice versa at 15 minute intervals. The were also additional trains to and from Redditch
Redditch railway station
Redditch railway station serves the town of Redditch, Worcestershire, England. It is the southern terminus of the Cross-City Line 23 km south of Birmingham New Street...
at peak times. On Sundays, Aston was served by a 30-minute frequency of trains to and from Four Oaks and Longbridge. Trains were operated by British Rail Class 108
British Rail Class 108
The British Rail Class 108 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1958 to 1961, with a final production quantity of 333 vehicles....
diesel multiple units. The Walsall service remained basically unchanged from 1970–1971, with no Sunday service.
The Present
Aston receives regular services on both the Cross-City Line, from Lichfield Trent ValleyLichfield Trent Valley railway station
Lichfield Trent Valley is a split-level railway station on the outskirts of the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations in Lichfield, the other being in the city-centre.-History:...
to Redditch and the Walsall Line, from Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton railway station
Wolverhampton railway station in Wolverhampton, West Midlands is on the West Coast Main Line. It is served by London Midland, CrossCountry, Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales.-History:...
to Walsall
Walsall railway station
Walsall railway station is the principal railway station of Walsall, West Midlands, England and situated in the heart of the town. It is operated by London Midland, who run all of its train services...
via Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
. In the evenings, services for the Chase Line call Aston.
Six services operate on the Cross-City Line in each direction every hour which call Aston. Services to Birmingham New Street terminate at either Longbridge
Longbridge railway station
Longbridge railway station serves the Longbridge area in the south-west of Birmingham, England. It is on the Cross City Line. The station and all trains calling there are operated by London Midland.-History:...
or Redditch, with four services an hour to the former and two to the latter. Northwards, there are three destinations on the Cross-City Line served by trains from Aston. Two of the six services run the full length of the line to terminate at Lichfield Trent Valley, two go to Lichfield City
Lichfield City railway station
Lichfield City railway station serves the city of Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. It is situated towards the northern end of the Cross-City Line 28 km north east of Birmingham New Street...
and the other two only venture as far as Four Oaks
Four Oaks railway station
Four Oaks railway station serves the Four Oaks area of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England. It is situated on the Cross-City Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-History:...
.
The Walsall line is served by fewer trains: there are two in each direction every hour, both of which call all stations between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Birmingham New Street.
Passenger services are operated by London Midland using either Class 323
British Rail Class 323
The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple units were built by Hunslet TPL from 1992-93. Forty-three 3-car units were built for inner-suburban services around Birmingham and Manchester...
electrical multiple units on the Cross-City Line and the Walsall Line, and Class 170 diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s on the Chase Line
Chase Line
The Chase Line is the railway line from Birmingham New Street to Walsall and Rugeley.-Overview:The line from Birmingham to Walsall has two alternative routes, both of which are electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...
to Rugeley
Rugeley Trent Valley railway station
Rugeley Trent Valley is a railway station located on the outskirts of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations in Rugeley, the other being Rugeley Town...
.
Bus Connections
Buses 65, 67 and 115 operated by National Express West MidlandsNational Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
pass the station.
Nearby
The station serves:- Aston HallAston HallAston Hall is a municipally owned Jacobean-style mansion in Aston, Birmingham, England. Washington Irving used it as the model for Bracebridge Hall in his stories in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon.-History:...
- Aston Events CentreAston Events CentreThe Aston Events Centre is an indoor sports and event venue, located in Birmingham, England.Formerly called Aston Villa Leisure Centre, the venue is situated adjacent to Villa Park football stadium, home of Aston Villa F.C...
- Aston Villa F.C.Aston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
- Aston UniversityAston UniversityAston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
(using one of the frequent bus services listed above along Lichfield Road towards Birmingham City Centre). - Church of SS Peter & Paul, Aston
- King Edward VI AstonKing Edward VI AstonKing Edward VI Aston School is a selective, all-boys' grammar school and specialist Sports College. The school, designed by Birmingham architect J.A. Chatwin, opened in 1883 and is still located on its original site, in the Aston area of Birmingham, England....
School