Overview (Top Index)

The Leamington - Worcester Line was created by reopening Snow Hill Station in the Business Quarter of central Birmingham in 1987.

This enabled trains from Leamington, which had formerly terminated at Moor Street in the Retail Quarter, to cross the city centre to Snow Hill and continue to Worcester beyond.

There are seven Birmingham stations on the Leamington - Worcester line: Acocks Green, Tyseley, Small Heath, Bordesley, Moor Street, Snow Hill and the Jewellery Quarter.

In addition to trains running between Leamington and Worcester, the line is also used by Chiltern services operating between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill.

Trains running between Birmingham and Stratford join the line at Tyseley.

Heading north-westwards on the Leamington - Worcester Line from south-east to north-west Birmingham, you will pass the following landmarks:

Links: Tyseley   Birmingham Railway Museum Trust Website

Heading north-westwards from Tyseley Station, the Leamington-Worcester Railway passes through the Tyseley Industrial Estate and bridges the River Cole and the Birmingham and Warwick Canal. It then runs alongside the former site of the BSA Works and arrives at Small Heath Station.

Small Heath Railway Station (Top Index)

Small Heath Railway Station on the Leamington - Worcester Line stands on Golden Hillock Road, on a bridge above the tracks, next to the former site of the BSA factory, and barely 100 metres from Small Heath Highway (A45).

The station, which opened in 1863, has an annual passenger usage of around 38,000. There are two platforms, a seated area and cycle storage but no car park or taxi rank. Several bus routes pass nearby.

 There are generally four trains per hour in the daytime; services are less frequent in the evening and on Sunday. The typical journey time is four minutes to Moor Street and seven minutes to Snow Hill.

Main Destinations: Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Dorridge, Great Malvern, Shirley, Worcester Foregate, Worcester Shrub Hill.

Tel: 08457484950   Address: Golden Hillock Road B10 0DP

Links: Small Heath   National Rail Enquiries

Camp Hill Junction (Top Index)

Heading north-westwards from Small Heath Station, the Leamington -Worcester Line runs between Small Heath Highway (A45) and the Birmingham and Warwick Canal for about three quarters of a mile, passing beneath the Camp Hill Freight Line.

A linking track enables trains to switch from the Leamington - Worcester Line to the Camp Hill Freight Line and vice versa.

Camp Hill Viaduct (Top Index)

Heading north-westwards from Camp Hill Junction, the Leamington - Worcester Railway is carried on this viaduct above Bordesley Middleway (A4540) and the Birmingham and Warwick Canal before arriving at Bordesley Station.

Links: Bordesley

Bordesley Railway Station (Top Index)

Bordesley Station on the Leamington - Worcester line sits on a viaduct above the Coventry Road. It was built in 1855 in order to transport cattle from the Warwickshire countryside to the Bull Ring. The lettering "BR(W) Bordesley Cattle Station" is still inscribed on the facade.

 Nowadays, the station is closed most of the time. It does, however, still open whenever Birmingham City play at home since the Saint Andrews football stadium is within walking distance. Even so the annual passenger usage is still only around 3,500. There are two platforms, but no car park or taxi rank.

A triple murder was committed at Bordesley Station shortly after it opened in 1855. The bodies of three mutilated women were found alongside the tracks but the killer was never caught. The station is said to be haunted.

Main Destinations: station closed most of the time.

Tel: 08457484950   Address: Coventry Road B9 4HF

Links: Bordesley   National Rail Enquiries

Heading north-westwards from Bordesley Station, the Leamington-Worcester Line  passes a disused viaduct, shortly before crossing above Adderley Street.

Disused Digbeth Viaduct (Top Index)

The disused Digbeth Viaduct was built by the Great Western in the 1850's; the company had been excluded from New Street Station and so decided to construct a viaduct from Adderley Street to an alternative terminus at Curzon Street.

 However, its rivals also managed to exclude the company from this station. Consequently, the viaduct was never completed and the company had to build its own terminus at Snow Hill instead.

Links: Digbeth

Used Digbeth Viaduct (Top Index)

Heading north-westwards from the disused viaduct near Adderley Street, the Leamington-Worcester Line runs on a Staffordshire blue brick viaduct, roughly parallel to Digbeth and Deritend High Streets.

It crosses on a series of arches above the roads that run off these streets, namely: Heath Mill Lane (above image), Gibb Street, Floodgate Street, Milk Street, Trent Street, Oxford Street, Meriden Street and Alison Street.

Links: Digbeth

From Alison Street, the Leamington-Worcester railway heads north-westwards into Moor Street Station.

Moor Street Station (Top Index)

Moor Street Station was built as a second terminus by the Great Western in 1909-14.

The company needed a second terminus because the route to its main terminus at Snow Hill in the Business Quarter was frequently congested since trains had to travel through a narrow tunnel beneath the city centre in order to get there.

Eventually Snow Hill was abandoned altogether and Moor Street became the only Great Western terminus in Birmingham.

However, this 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 and walk to New Street.

By the 1980's this anomaly was discouraging inward investment, particularly since office staff living in suburbs such as Shirley could not easily commute to the Business Quarter. 

Accordingly, Snow Hill Station was re-opened and Moor Street was rebuilt as a through station. However, the old terminus buildings were preserved as a booking office & shopping arcade alongside two through platforms on a new track alignment.

The rebuilt station features reproduction lamps, clocks, signage and genuine antique fittings from the old station; it won the Railway Heritage Trust Award in 2004 and the Birmingham Civic Society Renaissance Award in 2005.

The annual passenger footfall is 650,000; the facilities include CCTV, a seated area, baby changing, waiting rooms, toilets, shops and cycle storage.

 There is no taxi rank or car park and no direct rail service operates between Moor Street and New Street Station.

 However, a network of subways links Moor Street Station to New Street Station and the Bull Ring.

Snow Hill Tunnel (Top Index)

Heading north-westwards from Moor Street Station, the Leamington-Worcester railway passes through Snow Hill Tunnel which carries it beneath Birmingham High Street, Martineau Square, Corporation Street, Temple Row, the Great Western Arcade and Colmore Row.

The line emerges from this tunnel at Snow Hill Station.

Snow Hill Station is the second busiest railway station in Birmingham after New Street. The station, which serves the Business Quarter, has an annual passenger footfall of 2.36 million.

The current station was built in 1987 after the Snow Hill Tunnel was reinstated so that commuters could reach the Business Quarter from towns on the eastern side of Birmingham such as Shirley and Leamington Spa.

The previous station, a splendid Edwardian building, had been demolished in 1977.

The modern Snow Hill is generally disliked since it is ugly and draughty; the platforms and concourse are buried beneath a concrete 800-space multi-storey car park.

 The facilities include a seated area, baby changing, payphones, waiting rooms, shops, a taxi rank, three rail & two metro platforms.

Main Destinations: Birmingham Moor Street, Dorridge, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, London Marylebone, Stourbridge Junction, Shirley, Stratford-upon-Avon, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill and stations to Wolverhampton on the Midland Metro Line.

Main Destinations: Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Dorridge, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, London Marylebone, Shirley, Stourbridge Junction, Stratford-upon-Avon, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill and metro stations to Wolverhampton.

Through Hockley (Top Index)

Heading north-westwards From the Jewellery Quarter Station, the Leamington-Worcester Line continues to run alongside the Midland Metro Line.

 The two lines skirt Key Hill, bridge Icknield Street (A4540), and pass the former site of Hockley Railway Station, which closed in 1972; from there, they run beneath All Saints Road and into Soho.

Links: Hockley

Heading north-westwards from Hockley, the Leamington-Worcester Line and Midland Metro run beneath Lodge Road, Norton Street and Musgrave Road before passing Benson Road Station.

Only metro services stop at Benson Road Station which is next to the former site of Soho and Winson Green Station which closed in 1972.

Links: Soho

Through Winson Green (Top Index)

Heading north-westwards from Benson Road in Soho, the Leamington-Worcester Railway and Midland Metro continue side-by-side, running beneath Bacchus Road and a viaduct that carries the Chase Railway on its journey from Winson Green to Walsall.

The Leamington-Worcester Line and Midland Metro then cross beneath Boulton Road (A4040) and head past the Winson Green Outer Circle Metro Stop.

Links: Winson Green

Home    Privacy 

Contact    Sitemap    User Conditions