Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill station is a
railway station and the terminus of the
Midland Metro tram system from
Wolverhampton located in the centre of
Birmingham,
England. Though only a shadow of its former self, it is still the second most important railway station in Birmingham after
New Street station.
The reopened Snow Hill station has three platforms used for main line trains. It used to have four, however one was converted to be used by
Midland Metro trams. However, the planned extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham City Centre includes a dedicated embankment for trams alongside the station, which will allow the fourth platform to be returned to main line use.
Encyclopedia
Birmingham Snow Hill station is a
railway station and the terminus of the
Midland Metro tram system from
Wolverhampton located in the centre of
Birmingham,
England. Though only a shadow of its former self, it is still the second most important railway station in Birmingham after
New Street station.
The reopened Snow Hill station has three platforms used for main line trains. It used to have four, however one was converted to be used by
Midland Metro trams. However, the planned extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham City Centre includes a dedicated embankment for trams alongside the station, which will allow the fourth platform to be returned to main line use.
Services
Snow Hill is the principal destination of the Chiltern Main Line which links Birmingham with
London . Express services from London are operated by
Chiltern Railways, some Chiltern services continue onwards to
Kidderminster.
Snow Hill serves as the hub for a number of local train services which are operated by
Central Trains, including;
Leamington Spa to Worcester is actually operated as a single through service, with Snow Hill roughly at the centre of the route.
History
The site of the station was originally occupied by Oppenheims Glassworks, however this was demolished. Many parts of the building and machinery are believed to be underneath the station and car park therefore, during the development alongside the station, the area was designated the title of site of archaeological importance by
Birmingham City Council. The station was opened in 1852 on the
Great Western Railway line from London to
Wolverhampton Low Level Station. It originally bore the name Livery Street Station and was merely a simple large wooden shed. It was renamed Snow Hill in 1858; and the Great Western Hotel added in 1863. Snow Hill station was rebuilt in 1871 to accommodate longer trains. The new station consisted of a huge iron arch with a glass roof, with a simple wooden overhead bridge linking the two platforms. It was never intended to be the main station but political gaming between the railway companies prevented the railway reaching its original intended end at
Birmingham Curzon Street.
Trains arriving from the south first passed through Snow Hill Tunnel, built by the cut-and-cover method, and then a cutting from Temple Row to Snow Hill. The cutting was roofed over in 1872 and the
Great Western Arcade built on top.
By 1859 it was possible to travel from Snow Hill to
London in just under three hours.
In 1906 Snow Hill was rebuilt. The new station building was intended to compete with New Street, which at the time was a much grander building than it is today. The rebuilt station consisted of a large booking hall with a glass roof arch. It contained lavish waiting rooms with oak bars. The bottom end of the station contained fish platforms and cargo storage. The station was twice as long as the one that stands today.
Closure
As part of the
Beeching axe closure programme in the
1960s, it was decided that Snow Hill station was unnecessary. Snow Hill was recommended for closure, and all the services were switched to the former
LMS New Street Station.
Express services were diverted via New Street from 1967. Local services north from Snow Hill to
Wolverhampton, and a largely unpublicised four trains per day
Class 122 bubble car service to Langley Green, via Smethwick West railway station, were the last to run and ended in March 1972.
Despite a huge public outcry the architecture was not preserved. The Great Western Hotel was demolished in 1969 and the station was largely demolished in 1977, when the dangerous state of the building was revealed. The ironwork of the station roof was badly corroded in several places and the station had begun to literally 'slide' down the hill due to unstable ground and foundations.
A few items including the original gates and booking hall sign were saved and used in the
Birmingham Moor Street railway station restoration. The site was for many years used as a car park.
Rebirth
In the mid
1980s British Rail decided to re-open Snow Hill station as part of the cross-city transport plan for Birmingham.
In 1987 the newly rebuilt Snow Hill station opened for services to the south only, with some of the remaining parts of the original station lost and others incorporated . Services to London
Marylebone were restarted, along with many local services.
Moor Street, at the southern end of Snow Hill tunnel was relocated from its former terminus location, which then closed, to become a through station adjacent to the tunnel mouth.
The new Snow Hill station, with a multistorey car park above, has been widely criticised as draughty, unwelcoming and architecturally unimaginative.
In 1995, services north to Smethwick and onwards to
Worcester were resumed.
In 1999 the line to Wolverhampton was re-opened as a
light-rail line, the
Midland Metro.
See also
Bibliography
- Boynton, John . Main Line to Metro: Train and Tram on the Great Western Route: Birmingham Snow Hill - Wolverhampton. Kidderminster: Mid England Books.
- Harrison, Derek . Salute to Snow Hill: The Rise and Fall of Birmingham's Snow Hill Railway Station 1852 - 1977. Birmingham: Barbryn Press.
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