Berkswell railway station, in the West Midlands

West Midlands (county)

The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...

 of 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...

, takes its name from the nearby village of Berkswell

Berkswell

Berkswell is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England.- Geography:It is in the east of the borough, borders Coventry and is about west of Coventry city centre.- History and places of interest :...

, but it is actually located much closer to the larger village of Balsall Common

Balsall Common

Balsall Common is a large village and one of the larger rural settlements in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, situated west of Coventry and to the east of Birmingham, to which it serves as a commuter village in the West Midlands. It is currently undergoing gradual suburbanisation and is...

. In fact the station originally opened as Docker's Lane, changed to Berkswell on 1 January 1853, then to Berkswell & Balsall Common on 1 February 1928 before reverting to Berkswell again. It is situated on the West Coast Main Line

West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...

 between Coventry

Coventry

Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

 and 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...

. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by 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....

. There are small lakes and a river on the Eastern side of the railway station.

History

In 2004, as part of a plan to upgrade the line to carry more high speed trains, the level crossing

Level crossing

A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...

 which was situated to the east of the station, was removed and two small low parallel tunnel

Tunnel

A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...

s were built under the railway; one tunnel for road traffic and the other for pedestrians. The road tunnel being too narrow for two-way traffic is controlled by traffic lights. The level crossings at the Tile Hill railway station

Tile Hill railway station

Tile Hill railway station is situated in the west of Tile Hill, Coventry, in the West Midlands of England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-History:...

 and the Canley railway station

Canley railway station

Canley railway station is situated in Canley, Coventry in the West Midlands of England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-History:The Station was previously known as Canley Halt railway station....

 were also removed in the upgrade.

Berkswell was once the junction with a line that ran to Kenilworth

Kenilworth

Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....

, which has now been closed. The trackbed of this line is gradually being converted into a "Greenway" for walking, cycling, and horse riding.

Services

On Mondays to Saturdays, Berkswell is served by two trains an hour between 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,...

 and Coventry

Coventry railway station

Coventry railway station is situated about 250 yards to the south of junction 6 of the inner ring road in the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England...

, one of which continues to London Euston. On Sundays, there is an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Northampton.

External links

• Photographs of Berkswell station at warwickshirerailways.com