Walsall Railway Station - History

History

The network of lines spanning out from Walsall was once more extensive than it is now. The line to Wolverhampton via Wednesfield and Willenhall Stafford Street closed in 1925. As part of the Beeching axe, the line to Lichfield and the South Staffordshire Line to Stourbridge via Dudley closed in 1964. The lines to Wolverhampton via Willenhall Bilston Street, Rugeley via Cannock and Sutton Coldfield closed a year later. This left only one line running to the station from Birmingham New Street and the station's importance to the town was reduced even further when this service was reduced to just one train per hour in the late 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, vast improvements were made to the quality of services from Walsall. In 1989 passenger services were reintroduced on the previously freight only line to Hednesford 24 years after they were withdrawn. The number of trains to Birmingham was gradually increased from one to four trains per hour and the Hednesford service was extended to Rugeley in 1997. Passenger services to Wolverhampton were reintroduced in 1998, but this service was short lived and the frequent hourly service was withdrawn again in 2008 due to low passenger numbers. However, one train per day goes straight to Wolverhampton from Walsall, in the evening.