Smethwick West railway station

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Template other Smethwick West was a railway station on the Great Western Railway between Stourbridge Junction station and Smethwick Junction. It was opened as Smethwick Junction railway station in 1867.

It closed in 1996, being replaced by a new railway station, Smethwick Galton Bridge, around 110 yards (100 metres) to the east, which serves two railway lines.

History

Smethwick Junction railway station was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1867. It was located on the Great Western Railway line running between Smethwick Junction and Stourbridge Junction station. The junction connected the Great Western route to the Stour Valley Line, which is now part of the West Coast route. In 1956 the British Transport Commission renamed the station to Smethwick West.

With the run down of Template:Rws, passenger services were diverted to Template:Rws from 1967; and Smethwick West became a station on the route between Birmingham New Street, Stourbridge Junction and Template:Rws.

Reduced levels of local services continued from Snow Hill to Template:Rws; with four trains per day from Snow Hill to Template:Rws, via Smethwick West, using Template:Brc units, nicknamed "bubble cars". These services ended in March 1972; and the Great Western route to Birmingham Snow Hill also closed in 1972. A single freight-only line to Coopers Scrap Yard, on the Great Western line in Handsworth was kept in use.

The route to Snow Hill was restored in 1995.

Closure

Smethwick West was replaced by Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station when the Jewellery line opened to Birmingham Snow Hill. Smethwick West was due to close in 1995 upon the opening of Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station, but an administrative error meant that it was unable to be closed until 1996. For this one-year period, Smethwick West was served by one train per week to satisfy the "not closed" criteria. The platforms and station buildings for Smethwick West are still in situ, and trains continue to pass through the site. The station lies adjacent to Smethwick Junction.

Template:Disused Rail Start |- | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"| Rood End
Station Closed and Line Open | style="background:#004400; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top:solid 1px #aaa; border-bottom:0px none;" | Great Western Railway
Later British Rail | style="background:#004400; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 0px none; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"|Handsworth and Smethwick
Station Closed, Line Open |- | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"| Rood End
Station Closed and Line Open | style="background:#004400; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top:solid 1px #aaa; border-bottom:0px none;" | London and North Western Railway
Later British Rail | style="background:#004400; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 0px none; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"|via Galton Junction
Smethwick Rolfe Street
Station and Line Open

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