Tamworth railway station

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Tamworth Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Borough of Tamworth
Managed by	London Midland
Platforms	4
Other information
Station code	TAM

Tamworth is a split-level railway station which serves the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. It is located where the Cross Country Route passes over the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line, in the United Kingdom, although there is no longer a rail link between the two lines.

History

Tamworth high level platforms, looking north.

The original station was opened on 12 August 1839 by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway on its original route from Derby to Hampton-in-Arden meeting the London and Birmingham Railway for London

On 26 June 1847 the London and North Western Railway opened its Trent Valley Line passing beneath the original line with a new joint station designed by John William Livock.

The joint station didn't acquirer the "High Level" and "Low Level" names until 1924. Since it was expected that only local trains would call, the platforms were on loops, with the running lines left clear for expresses. At that time there was a north to west curve linking the, by then, Midland with the LNWR line. Since it was the crossing of two major lines – one Bristol to Newcastle, the other Euston to Aberdeen – it was important for the Royal Mail transferring upwards of 2000 bags every night.

A north to east curve was also built very early on by the Trent Valley Railway and the Birmingham & Derby Junction railway, and track was laid on it, but it is not known whether it was ever used. It was certainly lifted by the turn of the century. The track left the Trent Valley line and climbed on an embankment until it crossed the River Anker via a bridge, then entered a cutting until reaching the Midland line. The bridge, known locally as the Spider Bridge, was demolished sometime during the late 1960s by the Royal Engineers, and the cutting was filled in shortly afterwards, so there is little to see nowadays except for the vegetation-covered embankment leading to the bridge.

Prior to the introduction of diesel engines, Tamworth Railway Station was particularly well known to 'train spotting' enthusiasts as the closest station to Birmingham at which the larger and faster steam engines could be seen on the London to the North West Coast Line. The south-east corner, where the lines crossed, was at that time a vacant field, and used to be filled with spotters who would bring refreshments and spend the whole day there. A housing estate now occupies that spot.

There was a large water tower and pumping station at the east end of the low level, pumping water from the River Anker below.

The original station was demolished in 1961 and the rebuilt station opened in 1962 and at the same time the Trent Valley Line was electrified, requiring the High level line and platforms to be raised by two feet.

Accidents and incidents

Main article: Tamworth rail crash

• On 14 September 1870, a mail train was diverted into a siding due to a signalman's error. It crashed through the buffers and ended up in the River Anker. Three people were killed.

Layout

There are four platforms:

• Platforms 1 and 2 on the low level (the West Coast Main Line):
  • Platform 1 is a westbound platform for northward services towards Crewe;
  • Platform 2 is an eastbound platform for southward services towards Northampton and London.
• Platforms 3 and 4 on the high level (on the Cross Country Route):
  • Platform 3 is a northbound platform for northward services towards Derby and beyond;
  • Platform 4 is a southbound platform for southward services towards Birmingham and beyond.

Services

A Virgin Pendolino speeds south through the low level platforms on the West Coast Main Line.

Low level

London Midland

London Midland operates a regular Monday to Sunday semi-fast hourly service between London and Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent which calls at Tamworth. This service uses Class 350 multiple units. Some peak services start or terminate at Northampton.

Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains provide additional services during the peak hours and weekends. Westbound, there are:

• 1 train per day from London to Glasgow Central via Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle (Monday to Friday only);
• 1 train per day from London to Lancaster via Preston (Monday to Friday only);
• 2 trains per day from London to Preston, one of which stops to set down only (reduced to 1 train per day on Saturdays and Sundays);
• 1 train per day from London to Liverpool Lime Street via Stafford and Runcorn (Monday to Saturday only, increased to 2 trains per day on Saturdays);
• 1 train per day from London to Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe (Monday to Friday only);
• 1 train per day from London to Crewe via Stafford, which stops to set down only (Monday to Friday only).

Eastbound, there are:

• 1 train per day from Lancaster to London (Mondays to Fridays only);
• 2 trains per day from Liverpool Lime Street to London (reduced to 1 train per day on Saturdays and Sundays);
• 1 train per day from Manchester Piccadilly to London (Mondays to Fridays only).

All Virgin Trains services are operated by Class 390 Pendolinos.

Grand Central has been given permission to run 6 trains a day from London to Blackpool North from 2018, with conditional permission for a stop at Tamworth dependent upon future capacity after infrastructural work.

High level

On the Cross Country Route all trains are served by CrossCountry and operated by Class 170, 220s, 221s and HST sets.

Northbound, the typical Monday-Saturday frequency of services is as follows:

• 2 trains per hour to Nottingham via Derby;
• 1 train per 2 hours to Glasgow Central via Derby, Sheffield, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.

On Sundays this is reduced to 1 train per hour to Nottingham and 1 train per 2 hours to Glasgow.

Southbound, the typical Monday-Saturday frequency of services is as follows:

• 1 train per hour to Cardiff Central via Birmingham New Street & Cheltenham Spa;
• 1 train per hour to Birmingham New Street only;
• 1 train per 2 hours to Plymouth via Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids. Peak-time services are extended to Penzance.

On Sundays the hourly service to Birmingham does not operate.

There is also a small number of trains between Newcastle and Reading or Southampton Central which stop at Tamworth.

See also

• Dudley Port railway station, which also had 2 levels until the 1960s.
• Retford railway station, on 2 levels since the 1960s (previously a flat crossing).
• Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
• Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station, on 2 levels, opened in 1995.
• Shotton railway station

External links

• Train times and station information for Tamworth railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Wilnecote		CrossCountry Cardiff – Nottingham		Burton on Trent
Birmingham New Street		CrossCountry South West – North East		Derby
Atherstone		London Midland London-Crewe		Lichfield Trent Valley
Atherstone		London Midland Northampton-Crewe		Lichfield Trent Valley
Polesworth Limited Service
Nuneaton		Virgin Trains London-Manchester/Liverpool/Crewe		Lichfield Trent Valley
London Euston		Virgin Trains London-Glasgow		Lichfield Trent Valley
London Euston or Rugby		Virgin Trains London-North West		Lichfield Trent Valley
	Historical railways
Wilnecote Line and station open		Midland Railway Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway		Elford Line open, station closed