Berkswell railway station
Berkswell | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Solihull |
| Managed by | London Midland |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BKW |
| Fare zone | 5 |
Berkswell railway station, in the West Midlands of England, takes its name from the nearby village of Berkswell, but it is actually located much closer to the small town of Balsall Common. In fact the station originally opened as Docker's Lane, changed to Berkswell on 1 January 1853, then to Berkswell & Balsall Common on 1 February 1928 before reverting to Berkswell again. It is situated on the West Coast Main Line between Coventry and Birmingham. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland. There are small lakes and a river on the Eastern side of the railway station.
History
In 2004, as part of a plan to upgrade the line to carry more high speed trains, the level crossing which was situated to the east of the station, was removed and two small low parallel tunnels were built under the railway; one tunnel for road traffic and the other for pedestrians. The road tunnel being too narrow for two-way traffic is controlled by traffic lights. The level crossings at Tile Hill and Canley were also removed in the upgrade.
Berkswell was once the junction with a line that ran to Kenilworth, which opened on 2 March 1884 and closed to all traffic on 3 March 1969.[1] The trackbed of this line is gradually being converted into a "Greenway" for walking, cycling, and horse riding. The route for the proposed High Speed 2 line will lie broadly parallel to this greenway, then necessitating its realignment through and north-west of the village of Burton Green.[2] A length of track of the Kenilworth line survives as a siding. It was occasionally used for stabling the Royal Train.[3]
Services
On Mondays to Saturdays, Berkswell is served by three trains an hour to Birmingham New Street, one train an hour of to London Euston, one to Coventry and one to Northampton. On Sundays, there is an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Northampton.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tile Hill | London Midland Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line |
Hampton-in-Arden | ||
References
- ^ Warwickshire Railways - Kenilworth JunctionWarwickshire Railways website article; Retrieved 2013-09-03
- ^ CFA 18 map book: Stoneleigh, Kenilworth and Burton Green (Ref: ES 3.2.2.18)
- ^ http://countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk/greenways/kenilworth-greenway/
External links
- Train times and station information for Berkswell railway station from National Rail
- Photographs of Berkswell station at warwickshirerailways.com