Darlaston James Bridge railway station

Darlaston was a station built on the Grand Junction Railway in 1837,[2] serving the James Bridge area east of the town centre of Darlaston, near the junction of Walsall Road and Bentley Mill Way.

Darlaston James Bridge
Site of former station between Walsall Rd and Kendricks Rd
General information
LocationDarlaston, Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
England
Coordinates52.5751°N 2.0188°W / 52.5751; -2.0188
Grid referenceSO988974
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGrand Junction Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1837Opened[1]
1965Closed[1]

Prior to September 1863 the station was, at various times, suffixed James' Bridge, James's Bridge and Green.

On 14 September 1863 a station was opened on the Darlaston Loop off the South Staffordshire Line which was named Darlaston. The original station then became known as James Bridge.

On 1 November 1887 the 'new' Darlaston station closed and the original station changed its name to James Bridge for Darlaston.

In March 1889 the name changed to Darlaston and James Bridge.

Closure

The station closed in January 1965,[1] and there is little evidence of the former station's existence at the site. The lines through the station are in use today as part of the Walsall–Wolverhampton line.

Reopening

Andy Street pledged in his mayoral campaign in 2017 to reopen the station, however no opening timeline was given.[3]

In September 2017, the West Midlands Combined Authority proposed that the station along with Willenhall Bilston Street would reopen by 2027 as part of a £4 billion transport plan.[4][5]

Willenhall was awarded backing for a reopening of a railway station on the Walsall-Wolverhampton Line in March 2018.. In August 2018, Darlaston was also awarded a new station near Cemetery Road which proposed to be located north of Kendricks Road directly adjacent to the old station site.[6]

Despite press reports that planning applications for the two stations were formally submitted in March 2020, this did not in fact happen until July.[7][8] Planning permission was granted in October 2020 and the stations are planned to open in 2023.[9] In March 2021, it was stated that full construction would start in the autumn.[10][11]

Trains from Darlaston railway station will makes journeys up to three times quicker. To Birmingham New Street in 22 minutes, saving 53 minutes. To Wolverhampton in 11 minutes, saving 17 minutes. To Walsall in 14 minutes, saving 9 minutes.[12]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
  Future services  
West Midlands Railway
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Willenhall Bilston Street   London and North Western Railway
Walsall to Wolverhampton Line		   Pleck
  Grand Junction Railway
to Walsall Line		   Wood Green

References
  1. "Darlaston (James Bridge) Station". Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  2. Drake, James (1838). Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.
  3. Elkes, Neil (12 February 2017). "Pledge to reinstate two Black Country rail lines". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  4. "£4 billion of transport infrastructure over coming decade". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  5. "West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan". Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  6. "Trains could be running directly between Walsall and Wolverhampton by 2021".
  7. "Web APAS".
  8. "Reopening of Darlaston and Willenhall train stations moves closer". Express and Star. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  9. "Two new Black Country railway stations receive planning approval".
  10. "Work set to start on 2 new West Midlands railway stations". RailAdvent. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  11. Farrington, Dayna. "Work set to start on Black Country railway stations after funding confirmed". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  12. "Willenhall and Darlaston stations". wmre.org.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2022.


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