Route of Leamington-Worcester Line through Birmingham

iii

News and Information about Birmingham

Rail Routes: Leamington - Worcester Line

Home

Sitemap

Railway Stations in Birmingham

Rail Routes through Birmingham

New Street Station

Route of Leamington-Worcester Line through Birmingham

Overview

The Leamington and Worcester Line runs between Leamington Spa and Worcester via Birmingham. It was built by the Great Western whereas most other lines in Birmingham were built by competing companies allied against the Great Western.

London-Birmingham Chiltern services run through Birmingham on the route of the Leamington-Worcester Line.

The Birmingham-Stratford Line joins the Leamington-Worcester Line at Tyseley Junction.

Birmingham Stations on the Leamington-Worcester Line (Top)

The following 7 Birmingham stations are on the Leamington-Worcester Line:

Acocks Green, Tyseley, Small Heath, Bordesley, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill and Jewellery Quarter.

Map of Leamington-Worcester Line through Birmingham (Top)

Refresh page if map does not show or go to our google page for this map

View Larger Map

This map only shows the route of the Leamington-Worcester Line through Birmingham. This website also contains a complete map of the Leamington-Worcester Line.

Acocks Green (Top)

Heading westwards from Leamington, the line enters Birmingham on an embankment above Roberts Road and enters Acocks Green Station.

Through Stockfield (Top)

Continuing in a north-westerly direction from Acocks Green Station, the line rides through Stockfield on a wooded embankment above rows of terraced houses before passing under Stockfield Road by the Mecca Social Club.

Tyseley Junction (Top)

From Stockfield Road, the line continues past the Warwick Road industrial estates and more terraced housing before passing under Wharfdale Road and reaching Tyseley Junction where it is joined by the Birmingham-Stratford Line.

There is a train care depot at Tyseley Junction, part of which has been taken over by the Birmingham Railway Museum which has restored two water columns and a coaling stage.

The museum operates, stores and maintains vintage steam and diesel locomotives at the depot and runs a summer steam service, called the Shakespeare Express, between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Ackers Adventure Park (Top)

From Tyseley Junction, the line runs through the Hay Hall industrial estates before reaching Ackers Adventure Park, formerly a BSA munitions test area, where it bridges the River Cole and the Birmingham and Warwick Canal.

Golden Hillock Road (Top)

From the Ackers Adventure Park, the line runs in a north-westerly direction between the Birmingham and Warwick Canal and the A45 Small Heath Highway.

It passes the Armoury Road industrial estates, once the site of the vast BSA Works, before reaching Small Heath Station beneath Golden Hillock Road.

Through Camp Hill (Top)

From Small Heath Station, the line continues to run north-westwards between the canal and the A45, past the old BSA sidings and beneath Small Heath Bridge.

The route then travels under the Camp Hill Freight Line, which is linked to the BSA Sidings, before running above the canal and the A45 as they turn northwards through Bordesley.

Bordesley Station (Top)

From there, the line runs on an embankment above Bordesley Middleway, past the Camp Hill industrial estates and through Bordesley Station.

Bordesley Station was built in 1855 to transport cattle to Birmingham. The lettering "BR(W) Bordesley Cattle Station" still appears on the station facade.

The bodies of three mutilated women were found on the tracks shortly after the station opened. The Birmingham Ripper was never caught; the station is apparently haunted.

Disused Digbeth Viaduct (Top)

Heading westwards from Bordesley Station, the line runs above the A45 Coventry Road and enters the Digbeth Deritend and Bordesley High Streets Conservation Area which features an early 20th century industrial townscape.

It then travels above Adderley Street and past a disused viaduct that was built by the Great Western in the 1850's.

The Great Western had been excluded from New Street Station by its competitors and so the company decided to construct a viaduct from Adderley Street to an alternative terminus at Curzon Street Station.

However, it was also shut out of Curzon Street and so the viaduct was simply abandoned and the existing line continued to Snow Hill.

In March 2011, the Digbeth Residents Association announced plans to convert the disused viaduct into a landscaped urban park (News Archive 22/03/11).

Custard Factory (Top)

From the disused viaduct at Adderley Street, the line continues westwards past the Custard Factory on a Staffordshire blue brick viaduct that runs roughly parallel to Digbeth and Deritend High Streets.

This viaduct carries the line on a series of arches above Heath Mill Lane, Gibb Street, Floodgate Street, Milk Street, Trent Street, Oxford Street, Meriden Street and Alison Street.

Moor Street Station (Top)

From Allison Street, the route passes above a tunnel carrying the Cross City Line and enters Moor Street Station.

Moor Street was built as a second Birmingham terminus by the Great Western in 1909-14. A second terminus was needed because the first terminus at Snow Hill could only be reached through a congested tunnel beneath the city centre.

After Snow Hill Station was axed by Lord Beeching in the 1960's, Moor Street became the line's only Birmingham terminus.

However, the closure of Snow Hill meant that passengers could not travel from destinations on the east side of Birmingham to destinations on the west side without having to alight at Moor Street Station.

Snow Hill was accordingly re-opened in 1987 whereupon Moor Street ceased to be a terminus and was rebuilt as a through station.

Architecture at Moor Street Station (Top)

Moor Street's Edwardian booking hall was preserved during the rebuild. It is now a shopping arcade connected to two through platforms on a new track alignment.

The concourse features reproduction lamps, clocks, signage and genuine antique fittings saved from the old station.

Planned Expansion of Moor Street Station (Top)

Moor Street Station will be rebuilt for a third time as the new terminus of the London-Birmingham Chiltern Line in order to reduce traffic through the Snow Hill Tunnel. A �13 million refurbishment programme is planned (News Archive 12/07/10).

Snow Hill Tunnel (Top)

Heading north-eastwards from Moor Street Station, the Leamington-Worcester Line runs through the Snow Hill Tunnel for a quarter of a mile travelling under Birmingham High Street, Martineau Square, Corporation Street, Temple Row, the Great Western Arcade and Colmore Row before emerging at Snow Hill Station.

Snow Hill Station (Top)

The original Snow Hill Station was a palatial Edwardian building that was axed by Lord Beeching and demolished in 1977.

This was a serious mistake because commuters travelling from towns such as Leamington Spa could not reach the thriving Business Quarter, centred on Colmore Row, without walking the last half mile.

So Snow Hill Station was rebuilt in the mid-1980's. The new station is a brutalist concrete building that is generally disliked; its draughty platforms are submerged beneath a multi-storey car park.

Midland Metro (Top)

Snow Hill has also been the Birmingham terminus of the Midland Metro since 1999. The metro runs between Birmingham and Wolverhampton; there are 23 stations spaced at intervals of roughly half a mile.

Saint Pauls (Top)

Heading north-westwards from Snow Hill Station, the railway and metro are carried by a viaduct above Lionel Street, Water Street, Henrietta Street and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal before passing the Saint Pauls metro stop near the fashionable bars, restaurants and galleries of Saint Pauls Square.

Golden Triangle (Top)

From Saint Pauls, the railway and metro travel in a cutting beneath Livery Street, Northwood Street and Kenyon Street.

They then run through two tunnels before emerging at the Jewellery Quarter Station on Vyse Street in the Golden Triangle, famous for its jewellers, horologists and antique shops.

Key Hill to Soho (Top)

From the Golden Triangle, the railway and metro head westwards past the wooded Victorian cemetery at Key Hill and above Icknield Street: the former site of Hockley Station which closed in 1972.

From there, they run through the Hockley Industrial Estate and beneath All Saints Road and Lodge Road, passing near Hockley Port on the Soho Loop of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal where cargo was once transhipped.

Benson Road (Top)

The railway and metro then continue westwards beneath Norton Street, above Musgrave Road and past the Park Trading Estate and Musgrave Recreation Ground before running beneath Benson Road.

Great Western Industrial Estate (Top)

From Benson Road, the lines head westwards past Benson Community School, the Soho Benson Road Metro Stop and the Beulah Hills Apostolic Church before running beneath Bacchus Road and through the Great Western Industrial Estate and Public Open Space.

Booth Street (Top)

From the Great Western Industrial estate, the railway and metro travel beneath the Handsworth Linking line and then run above Handsworth New Road on the Outer Circle before reaching Winson Green metro stop.

From there, they run through the Handsworth/Smethwick industrial estates and travel on an embankment above Booth Street, past the Watt Recreation Ground before arriving at the Handsworth Booth Street metro stop.

Middlemore Industrial Estate (Top)

From Booth Street, the lines run beneath Wattville Road and through the Middlemore Estate where they cross the municipal boundary into Sandwell.

Search This Site

Custom Search