Trains at: Wolverhampton, WCML, 05/02/22
274A very windy but enjoyable time spent at Wolverhampton on the West Coast Mainline where we see countless services from West Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Cross Country, Transport For Wales and Avanti West Coast.
The current station wasn't opened until 1852, before that there were two stations opened for the town. The first one was opened on the edge of the town in 1837 on the Grand Junction Railway. It was renamed in 1855 to Wednesfield Heath and subsequently closed in 1873.
The second station that was opened was courtesy of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway in 1849 was built as a terminus station, albeit a temporary one not to far away from where the current station now resides.
The present station was opened in 1852 by the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway which was a subsidiary of the London and Northwestern Railway. When the station was opened it was named Wolverhampton Queen Street, the only evidence of this remaining now is the Queen's Building which is the gateway to Railway Drive which was the original approach to the station. The building was once the carriage entrance to the station but is now the Wolverhampton bus station.
After two years of opening of Wolverhampton Queen Street the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway opened a station behind the older one on a lower level which gave the station its name of Wolverhampton Low Level from 1856, it wasn't until 1885 that Wolverhampton Queen Street was renamed Wolverhampton High Leve
Wolverhampton was completely rebuilt from 1964 to 1967 was part of the West Coast Mainline modernisation plans by a chap called Ray Moorcroft. The plans would allow for 3 through platforms, during this work some trains were diverted via the lower level until 1968 when it was closed completely.
The current platform 5 which is a bay platform was once a parcels sidings that was reconfigured for passenger usage.
In 2004 a new through platform was built on a very limited used sidings, thus allowing for a greater put through of traffic and passenger numbers.
Work is currently taking place for the extension of the Midland Metro system.
My next station will be Stoke on Trent.
If you have any trackside locations or stations you would like to see me go to then please do let me know and I will see what I can do for you.
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