History

It was opened in 1862 by the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

 intending to serve the communities of Woodside and Netherton. It was then upgraded and renamed Dudley Southside & Netherton in 1878.

Three railways/routes served the station - originally the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway

Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway

The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...

 and the South Staffordshire Railway

South Staffordshire Railway

The South Staffordshire Railway was the railway company responsible for building several lines in and around the area of Staffordshire, England.The Chief Engineer was John Robinson McClean...

, which later became the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

 and 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...

 (through amalgamation of 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...

) respectively. There were also services from Dudley to Old Hill along this route as part of GWR's service. The junction to Old Hill diverged between here and Harts Hill

Harts Hill railway station

Harts Hill railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line. It was opened in 1895 by a GWR keen to invest in what was perceived to be the lucrative passenger area of the Black Country, and it was intended to serve the communities between Brierley Hill and Dudley...

.

The line had reasonable passenger usage until about the early 1880s, when it began to slump at several stations, leading to the line becoming a largely freight only operation in 1887. It would remain open for goods traffic, which was considerable at this time, as the district had become highly industrialised in the then heyday of the Black Country

Black Country

The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...

's industrial past.

This station was known as Dudley Southside and Netherton until 1921, when it was renamed Blowers Green.

As the local industry declined and road transport became more common, the station entered a post-World War 2 decline.

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...

 closed the station with original line to passengers pre-Beeching in 1962 even though trains from Dudley

Dudley railway station

Dudley Railway Station was a passenger railway station located at Dudley, England, built where the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line and the South Staffordshire Line diverged to Wolverhampton and Walsall and Lichfield respectively.-History:...

 to Old Hill

Old Hill railway station

Old Hill railway station serves the Old Hill area of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. The station is managed by London Midland, who provide the majority of train services; Chiltern Railways also operate a small number of trains. It is situated on the Birmingham-Stourbridge...

 passed through the station until 1964. It remained as a emergency escape point and access point for railway engineers until late 1965.

Today's usage

The station building has been bricked up. The forecourt has been fenced off since 2004 due to youths' anti-social behavior, structural decay and periodical use by vagrants. Bill-posters are occasionally stuck to it from time to time.

Metrolink

The site of the station is earmarked as the location of a Midland Metro

Midland Metro

The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...

 stop which will be opened on the completion of the local tram network's second line in about 2011.
A £1,100,000/15 year long regeneration project will see the station become part of the local tram network with the line reopening between Walsall

Walsall

Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...

, Dudley Port railway station

Dudley Port railway station

-History:There was a Low Level Station on the former South Staffordshire line that had opened in 1850. The line had reasonable passenger usage until about the early 1880s, when it began to slump at several stations, leading to the line becoming a largely freight only operation in 1887...

, Dudley railway station

Dudley railway station

Dudley Railway Station was a passenger railway station located at Dudley, England, built where the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line and the South Staffordshire Line diverged to Wolverhampton and Walsall and Lichfield respectively.-History:...

 and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre

Merry Hill Shopping Centre

Westfield Merry Hill is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several expansion and renovation projects taking place since. The original developers and owners were Richardson Developments but the Centre has had a number...

 for trams on one track and for freight on the other. The freighters would continue on pat Brettell Lane railway station

Brettell Lane railway station

-Brettell Lane railway station:Brettell Lane railway station was a station on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line built to serve the communities between Brierley Hill and Stourbridge in England.-History:...

 and on to the mainline at Stourbridge junction. The closed section of railway through Dudley

Dudley

Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...

 is expected to re-open during the 2010s, as a combined Midland Metro

Midland Metro

The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...

 tramway and a heavy rail line for goods trains.
Almost half a century after its closure, the station building is still standing. The railway below is currently disused, having being closed in 1993. It is set to re-open by 2012 as the second phase of the Midland Metro

Midland Metro

The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...

.