Dudley Port railway station

Dudley Port (Higher Level)
Location
Place	Tipton
Local authority	Sandwell
Coordinates	52.525°N 2.049°W / 52.525; -2.049
Grid reference	SO967918
Operations
Station code	DDP
Managed by	London Midland
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	0.116 million
2005/06 *	0.131 million
2006/07 *	0.144 million
2007/08 *	0.155 million
2008/09 *	0.281 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	West Midlands
Zone	4
History
Original company	Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
1 July 1852 (1852-07-01)	Station opened as Dudley Port (High Level)
c. 1964	Renamed Dudley Port
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Dudley Port (Higher Level) from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.

Dudley Port railway station is located in the Tipton area of the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It lies on the Stour Valley Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.

Upper Level station

History

The station opened in 1852. The line had passenger usage until about the early 1880s, when it began to slump at several stations, leading to the line becoming a largely freight only operation in 1887. It would remain open for goods traffic, which was considerable at this time, as the district had become highly industrialised in the then heyday of the Black Country's industrial past.

As the local industry declined and road transport became more common, the station entered a post-World War II decline.

Despite the name, it is not situated in the nearby town of Dudley, which has not had its own railway station since 1964. The name Dudley Port emerged during the 19th century, due to the extensive number of warehouses and wharves emerging around the Birmingham Canal to serve industries in nearby Dudley. The area initially became known as Dudley's Port before the title Dudley Port was adopted.

Dudley Port Station was originally known as Dudley Port High Level Station, as a Low Level Station was situated on the South Staffordshire line from Dudley to Walsall, which passes beneath.

High Level was dropped from the station's name when the Low Level station closed in 1964 as a result of the Beeching Axe.

The upper level was revamped in the mid 1980s and officially re-opened by West Midlands County councillor Gordon Morgan in 1989.

Today's usage

Services

Dudley Port is served by London Midland's services between Walsall and Wolverhampton, which are sponsored by Centro.

During Monday–Saturday daytime, there is a train every half hour, which calls at all stations between Wolverhampton and Walsall. On Sundays, there is typically one train per hour between Birmingham and Wolverhampton only.

A picture of the station's shelter, before repainting and reglazeing in 2009.

Three main London Midland express services call at this station - the first is a morning peak service from Stafford to New Street, the second evening peak service to Shrewsbury via Tipton, and the third is the final service to Crewe.

Raghvir Singh assault

On May 30, 2010, Raghvir Singh from Derby was attacked at Dudley Port railway station by two Afro-Caribbean males and badly wounded. The apparently unprovoked assault left Mr Singh in hospital with serious head injuries. British Transport Police still want to speak to three men captured on CCTV at the station on that night.

Pictures of the modern station

• 

  Plaque commemorating the rebuilding of Dudley Port station's upper level in 1989

• 

  Dudley Port station's entrance and car park

• 

  The Upper platform at Dudley Port station in 2010

• 

  The Upper platform at Dudley Port station in 2010

The lower level station

Dudley Port railway station (lower level)
A picture or Dudley port station's lower level in 2001. The diaganal brick structure on the right is a former stairway.
Location
Place	Tipton
Area	Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell
Coordinates	52.501°N 1.981°W / 52.501; -1.981
Operations
Original company	South Staffordshire Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Platforms	2
History
1 April 1850	Opened as Dudley Port railway station
1964	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

History

There was a Low Level Station on the former South Staffordshire line that had opened in 1850. The line had reasonable passenger usage until about the early 1880s, when it began to slump at several stations, leading to the line becoming a largely freight only operation in 1887. It would remain open for goods traffic, which was considerable at this time, as the district had become highly industrialised in the then heyday of the Black Country's industrial past.

As the local industry declined and road transport became more common, the station entered a post-World War 2 decline and closed in 1964 as a result of the Beeching Axe, though the railway remained open to goods trains until 1993.

Today's usage

It is an overgrown and fenced-off pile of rubble, with a scrap dealership one forcort and a small office on the other.

• 

  A picture or Dudley port station's lower level in 2001.

• 

  A picture or Dudley port station's lower level in 2001 (left) and 2011 (right).

• 

  A picture or Dudley port station's lower level in 2001.

• 

  The scrap yard is on the former station fourcourt and station building in 2000.

Midland Metro

Phase Two of the Midland Metro will see the line reopening between Walsall, Dudley Port railway station, Dudley railway station and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre for trams on one track and for freight on the other. The closed section of the South Staffordshire Line through Dudley is expected to re-open during the 2010s, as a combined Midland Metro tramway and a heavy rail line for goods trains. The Lower Level station would re-open as a Midland Metro tram stop. This might be adjacent to a re-opened single track line for goods trains.

Midland Metro Brierley Hill/Stourbridge Extension

Legend Joins existing Line One Tame Valley Canal Golds Hill Walsall Canal Great Bridge Horseley Road Dudley Port Birmingham New Main Line Canal (under aqueduct) Sedgley Road Birmingham Old Main Line Canal Birmingham New Road Tipton Road Dudley Town Centre for Dudley Bus station Flood Street New Road Cinderbank Parkhead Viaduct Pedmore Road Canal Street Waterfront Merry Hill Brierley Hill Brettell Lane Stourbridge

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Sandwell and Dudley		London Midland Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line		Tipton
	Disused railways
Great Bridge South		Great Western Railway Later British Rail Walsall-Wolverhampton - Dudley Branch (1852-1964)		Dudley
Great Bridge North		South Staffordshire Railway Later LNWR, then LMS, finally BR South Staffs Line (1850-1964)		Dudley

External links

• Train times and station information for Dudley Port railway station from National Rail
• Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Dudley Port station
• Some South Staffordshire Railway Byways – The Darlaston Branch
• A History of Wednesbury
• Dudley Port Low Level Station