Dudley Port railway station

Dudley Port (Low Level)
Dudley Port (Low Level)
	A picture of Dudley port station's lower level in 2001. The diagonal brick structure on the right is a former stairway.
Location
Place	Tipton
Area	Sandwell
Coordinates	52°30′04″N 1°58′52″W / 52.501°N 1.981°W
Operations
Original company	South Staffordshire Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Platforms	2
History
1 April 1850	Opened as Dudley Port railway station
1964	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
	Closed railway stations in Britain; A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
	UK Railways portal

Dudley Port (Higher Level)
Dudley Port (Higher Level)
Location
Place	Tipton
Local authority	Sandwell
Coordinates	52°31′30″N 2°02′56″W / 52.525°N 2.049°WCoordinates: 52°31′30″N 2°02′56″W / 52.525°N 2.049°W
Grid reference	SO967918
Operations
Station code	DDP
Managed by	West Midlands Trains
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	E
	Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections; from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13	0.367 million
2013/14	0.419 million
2014/15	0.421 million
2015/16	0.458 million
2016/17	0.473 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Transport for West Midlands
Zone	4
History
Original company	Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
1 July 1852	Station opened as Dudley Port (High Level)
c. 1964	Renamed Dudley Port
	National Rail – UK railway stations
	* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Dudley Port (Higher Level) from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
	UK Railways portal

Dudley Port railway station in Tipton, West Midlands, England, is on the Stour Valley Line. The station is operated by West Midlands Trains.

Upper Level station

History

The station opened in 1852. The line had 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's industrial past.

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

Despite the name, and being located just 1.6 miles (2.6 km) north-east of the town centre of Dudley (which has not had its own railway station since 1964), Dudley Port station is not actually situated within the boundaries of the Borough of Dudley, but rather in the adjacent Sandwell borough. The name Dudley Port emerged during the 19th century, due to the extensive number of warehouses and wharves emerging around the Birmingham Canal to serve industries in Dudley. The area initially became known as Dudley's Port, before the title Dudley Port was adopted.^[1]

Dudley Port Station was originally known as Dudley Port High Level Station, as a Low Level Station was situated on the South Staffordshire line from Dudley to Walsall, which passes beneath.

High Level was dropped from the station's name when the Low Level station closed in 1964 as a result of the Beeching Axe.

The upper level was revamped in the mid 1980s and officially re-opened by West Midlands County councillor Gordon Morgan in 1989.

Today's usage

Plaque commemorating the rebuilding of Dudley Port station's upper level in 1989

Services

Dudley Port is served by West Midlands Railway services between Walsall and Wolverhampton, under a franchise agreement with the Department for Transport.

During Monday–Saturday daytime, there is a train every half hour, which calls at all stations between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Birmingham New Street. On Sundays, there is typically one train per hour between Birmingham and Wolverhampton only.^[2]

Three main West Midlands Railway express services call at this station - the first is a morning peak service from Stafford to New Street, the second evening peak service from Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury and the third is the final service from Birmingham New Street to Crewe.

Low Level station

History

There was a Low Level Station on the former South Staffordshire Line that had opened in 1850, which provided a rail connection from Dudley Port to Dudley railway station. 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's industrial past. It closed in June 1964 as passenger services were phased out along the line due to the Beeching Axe and the blue brick station building was demolished three years later, although the railway remained open to goods trains until 1993.

The South Staffordshire Line through Dudley Port Low Level.

Midland Metro

Phase Two of the Midland Metro will see the line reopening between Walsall, Dudley Port railway station, Dudley railway station and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre for trams on one track and for freight on the other. The closed section of the South Staffordshire Line through Dudley is expected to re-open during the 2010s,^[3] as a combined Midland Metro tramway and a heavy rail line for goods trains. The Lower Level station would re-open as a Midland Metro tram stop, sharing its track with goods trains.^[4]

Reopening

The Midland Metro is set to be extended from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill, with goods trains running alongside it, with the former South Staffordshire Line being reopened for this use by 2023. A new Midland Metro stop is set to be open on the site of the former Dudley Port Low Level Station.

West Midlands Metro Line 2

Wednesbury-to-Brierley-Hill-extension

Line One

at Wednesbury

Golds Hill

Birmingham New Main Line canal

(under aqueduct)

Sedgley Road

Birmingham Old Main Line canal

Birmingham New Road

Tipton Road

Dudley Town Centre

Flood Street

New Road

Cinderbank

Parkhead Viaduct

over Dudley Canal

Pedmore Road

Canal Street

Waterfront

Merry Hill

Brierley Hill

Brettell Lane

Stourbridge

Preceding station	National Rail		Following station
Sandwell and Dudley		West Midlands Railway Wolverhampton-Birmingham/Walsall	Tipton
Sandwell and Dudley		London Northwestern Railway Birmingham-Liverpool	Tipton
	Disused railways
Great Bridge South		Great Western Railway Later British Rail Birmingham(Snow Hill) - Dudley Branch (1866-1964)	Dudley
Great Bridge North		South Staffordshire Railway Later LNWR, then LMS, finally BR South Staffs Line (1850-1964)	Dudley

References

↑
↑ GB eNRT May 2016 Edition, Table 68
↑ http://www.centro.org.uk/Metro/Nov%2003/W-B%20Timetable.asp
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

External links

Train times and station information for Dudley Port railway station from National Rail
Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Dudley Port station
Some South Staffordshire Railway Byways – The Darlaston Branch
A History of Wednesbury
Dudley Port Low Level Station

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[1] ↑

[2] GB eNRT May 2016 Edition, Table 68

[3] ttp://www.centro.org.uk/Metro/Nov%2003/W-B%20Timetable.asp

[4] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2012-11-19.