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Sutton Coldfield railway station

Coordinates: 52°33′50″N 1°49′26″W / 52.564°N 1.824°W / 52.564; -1.824
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Sutton Coldfield
National Rail
A Class 323 train entering Sutton Coldfield Railway Station in 2024.
General information
LocationSutton Coldfield, Birmingham
England
Coordinates52°33′50″N 1°49′26″W / 52.564°N 1.824°W / 52.564; -1.824
Grid referenceSP118963
Managed byWest Midlands Railway
Transit authorityTransport for West Midlands
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeSUT
Fare zone4
ClassificationDfT category D
Key dates
1862Opened
2003Renovated
Passengers
2018/19Increase 1.776 million
2019/20Decrease 1.720 million
2020/21Decrease 0.313 million
2021/22Increase 0.645 million
2022/23Increase 0.805 million
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Sutton Coldfield railway station is the main railway station for the town of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on the Redditch/Bromsgrove-Birmingham New Street-Four Oaks-Lichfield Cross-City Line 7+12 miles (12.1 km) north east of Birmingham New Street.

The station is of Victorian architecture with red brick and elaborate ceilings and pillars. One platform is sheltered while the other is open air. The main building itself is built on a hill with a tunnel running underneath it. It is accessed via Station Street and Railway Road.

History

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The station was constructed in 1862, as the northern terminus of the line from Birmingham built by the London and North Western Railway. In 1884, the line was extended north to Lichfield, and after the grouping of railway companies in 1923, it came under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

The station was the location of the Sutton Coldfield train disaster on 23 January 1955 when an express from York to Bristol travelling at excessive speed derailed. A memorial to the 17 people who died was unveiled in the station concourse on 23 January 2016.[1]

From 1978, the station became one of those served by the new Cross-City Line, sponsored by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive. As part of that scheme, there were proposals to demolish the station and rebuild it, as happened to many of the other stations on the line. However, local campaigning saved it.

2003 repairwork

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Following the provision of a large sum of money in 2003, the station underwent a programme of refurbishment. Many new facilities were provided, and repair work was undertaken to the station building. The southbound platform was repainted and a former wooden ticket office removed because it had become a target for vandalism and concerns were raised about its fire safety. A new ticket vending machine was placed on the platform which reduced queues at the ticket office in the main building. A station shop and a new waiting room were provided. On the northbound platform, the small waiting room was replaced with new seats. Passenger information system boards were also installed on both platforms which provides passengers with up-to-the-minute information on train times. The interior of the station was also repainted and the ticket office in the main building was extended.

Services

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The station is served by West Midlands Trains with local Transport for West Midlands branded "Cross-City" services, operated by Class 323 and Class 730 Electric multiple units.[2][3]

The off-peak service pattern is as follows:

Mondays to Saturdays:

Sundays:

  • 2tph northbound to Lichfield Trent Valley.
  • 2tph southbound to Redditch.

Services on Sundays call at all stations between Lichfield T.V. and Redditch.

The average journey time to Birmingham New Street is around 21 minutes.[4][5]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Four Oaks   West Midlands Railway
Lichfield – Four Oaks – Birmingham – Bromsgrove/Redditch
Cross-City Line
  Wylde Green

References

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  1. ^ "Memorial plaque for Sutton Coldfield rail crash". BBC News. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Class 323 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
  3. ^ "Class 730 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
  4. ^ "Train Timetables and Schedules | Sutton Coldfield". West Midlands Railway.
  5. ^ "Train Times | The Cross City Line | 30 December 2023 until 1 June 2024". West Midlands Railway.
  • An Historical Survey Of Selected LMS Stations Vol. One Dr R Preston and R Powell Hendry. Oxford Pub. Co. (1982, Reprinted in 2001) ISBN 0-86093-168-4
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