Tamworth railway station

Tamworth
Tamworth Station looking westbound on the West Coast Main Line
Location	Tamworth, Borough of Tamworth England
Coordinates	52°38′15″N 1°41′13″W / 52.6374°N 1.6869°W / 52.6374; -1.6869Coordinates: 52°38′15″N 1°41′13″W / 52.6374°N 1.6869°W / 52.6374; -1.6869
Grid reference	SK213044
Managed by	London Northwestern Railway
Platforms	4
Other information
Station code	TAM
Classification	DfT category C2
History
Opened	12 August 1839 (1839-08-12)
Original company	Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway and London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1847	New joint station buildings erected
1909	Station jointly staffed by the MR and LNWR
1961	Station rebuilt
Passengers
2016/17	1.199 million
2017/18	1.223 million
2018/19	1.279 million
Interchange	0.336 million
2019/20	1.271 million
Interchange	0.393 million
2020/21	0.234 million
Interchange	43,012
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Tamworth is a split-level railway station which serves the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. It is an interchange between two main lines; the Cross Country Route and the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML). It has four platforms: Two low-level platforms (1 and 2) on the WCML, and two high level platforms (3 and 4) served by the Cross Country Route. Historically there were chords connecting the two lines, but there is no longer any rail connection between them.

History[]

The original station was opened on 12 August 1839^[1] by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway, a forerunner of the Midland Railway, on its original route from Derby to Hampton-in-Arden meeting the London and Birmingham Railway for London. Later, in 1842, the B&DJ built a branch to Birmingham, terminating at Lawley Street railway station.

On 26 June 1847 the London and North Western Railway opened its Trent Valley Line^[2] passing at a right angle beneath the original Birmingham and Derby line with a new joint station designed by John William Livock.^[3]

The joint station did not acquire the "High Level" and "Low Level" names until 1924.^[4] Since it was expected that only local trains would call, the low level platforms were on loops, with the running lines left clear for expresses. At that time there was a north to west curve linking the, by then, Midland Railway line with the LNWR line. This curve was opened in 1847, and closed in March 1969.^[5]

A north to east curve was also constructed, however it's unclear whether this chord was ever completed, let alone used. It appeared to have been built by the Midland Railway in around 1866, and track was laid on it, but for unknown reasons the junction to the Trent Valley Line appears to have never been completed. Some sources state that the tracks were lifted in 1878, certainly it was listed on maps as being dismantled by 1901.^[6]

Since Tamworth was the crossing of two major lines – one Bristol to Newcastle, the other Euston to Aberdeen – it was an important transfer station for the Royal Mail, with upwards of 2,000 bags of mail being transferred between the two lines every night by the 1950s. Mail lifts were provided between the low and high level lines to facilitate the transfer.^[6]

There was a large water tower and pumping station at the east end of the low level, pumping water from the River Anker below.^[5]

The original station was demolished in 1961 and a new station, built in functional style was designed by the architects for the London Midland Region of British Railways, Maurice Wheeler, E.G. Girdlestone and J.B. Sanders.^[7] The rebuilt station opened in 1962 and at the same time the Trent Valley Line was electrified, requiring the High level line and platforms to be raised by two feet.^[8]

Accidents and incidents[]

• On 14 September 1870, a mail train was diverted into a siding due to a signalman's error. It crashed through the buffers and ended up in the River Anker. Three people were killed.^[9]

Layout[]

There are four platforms:

• Platforms 1 and 2 on the low level (the West Coast Main Line):
  • Platform 1 is a westbound platform for northward services towards Lichfield Trent Valley, Stafford, Crewe and the North West;
  • Platform 2 is an eastbound platform for southward services towards Nuneaton, Rugby, Northampton and London.
• Platforms 3 and 4 on the high level (on the Cross Country Route):
  • Platform 3 is a northbound platform for northward services towards Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Scotland;
  • Platform 4 is a southbound platform for southward services towards Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth.

Facilities[]

The main buildings are adjacent to platform 1 and incorporate a ticket office (manned seven days per week – 06:10 to 20:00 Mondays to Saturdays and 09:45 – 16:15 Sundays), customer service enquiry counter, photo booth, toilets, post box and a coffee shop. Two self-service ticket machines are sited on the station frontage for use when the ticket office is closed. Platform 2 only has a waiting shelter, whilst both high level platforms have waiting rooms. Train running information is provided via automatic announcements, CIS displays and timetable poster boards.

Both low-level platforms are directly linked with both high-level platforms by staircases (4 in total). All platforms are fully accessible for disabled passengers, as the two levels are also linked by lifts (3 in total).^[10] There is, however, no direct lift between platforms 2 and 3; step-free access between these platforms is only via platforms 4 and 1.^[10]

Services[]

Low level[]

West Midlands Trains[]

West Midlands Trains operating under the London Northwestern branding, operates a regular Monday to Sunday semi-fast hourly service between London and Crewe via Stafford which calls at Tamworth. This service uses Class 350 multiple units. Some peak services start or terminate at Northampton.^[11]

Avanti West Coast[]

Avanti West Coast provide additional services during the peak hours and weekends.^[12] Westbound, there are:

• 1 train per day from London to Glasgow Central via Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle (Monday to Friday only);
• 1 train per day from London to Lancaster via Preston (Monday to Friday only);
• 2 trains per day from London to Preston, one of which stops to set down only (reduced to 1 train per day on Saturdays and Sundays);
• 1 train per day from London to Liverpool Lime Street via Stafford and Runcorn (Monday to Saturday only, increased to 2 trains per day on Saturdays);
• 1 train per day from London to Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe (Monday to Friday only);
• 1 train per day from London to Crewe via Stafford, which stops to set down only (Monday to Friday only).

Eastbound, there are:

• 1 train per day from Lancaster to London (Mondays to Fridays only);
• 2 trains per day from Liverpool Lime Street to London (reduced to 1 train per day on Saturdays and Sundays);
• 1 train per day from Manchester Piccadilly to London (Mondays to Fridays only).

All Avanti West Coast services are operated by Class 390 Pendolinos.

High level[]

On this Route all trains are served by CrossCountry and operated by Class 170, 220s, 221s and HST sets.

Northbound, the typical Monday-Saturday frequency of services is as follows:

• 2 trains per hour to Nottingham via Derby;
• 1 train per 2 hours to Glasgow Central via Derby, Sheffield, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.^[13]

On Sundays this is reduced to 1 train per hour to Nottingham and 1 train per 2 hours to Glasgow.

Southbound, the typical Monday-Saturday frequency of services is as follows:

• 1 train per hour to Cardiff Central via Birmingham New Street and Cheltenham Spa;
• 1 train per hour to Birmingham New Street only;
• 1 train per 2 hours to Plymouth via Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids. Peak-time services are extended to Penzance.

On Sundays the hourly service to Birmingham does not operate.

There is also a small number of trains between Newcastle and Reading or Southampton Central which stop at Tamworth.

See also[]

• Dudley Port railway station, which also had 2 levels until the 1960s.
• Retford railway station, on 2 levels since the 1960s (previously a flat crossing).
• Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
• Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station, on 2 levels, opened in 1995.
• Shotton railway station
• Bolehall Viaduct just south of the high level station

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tamworth railway station.

• Train times and station information for Tamworth railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Wilnecote		CrossCountry Cardiff – Nottingham		Burton on Trent
Birmingham New Street		CrossCountry South West – North East		Derby
Atherstone		London Northwestern Railway London-Crewe		Lichfield Trent Valley
Atherstone		London Northwestern Railway Northampton-Crewe		Lichfield Trent Valley
Polesworth Limited Service
Nuneaton		Avanti West Coast London-Manchester/Liverpool/Crewe		Lichfield Trent Valley
London Euston		Avanti West Coast London-Glasgow		Lichfield Trent Valley
London Euston or Rugby		Avanti West Coast London-North West		Lichfield Trent Valley
	Historical railways
Wilnecote Line and station open		Midland Railway Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway		Elford Line open, station closed