Hamstead railway station

Hamstead
265px Looking towards Walsall
Location
Place	Hamstead
Local authority	Birmingham
Coordinates
Grid reference	SP049925
Operations
Station code	HSD
Managed by	London Midland
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11	0.149 million
2011/12	0.238 million
2012/13	0.241 million
2013/14	0.251 million
2014/15	0.256 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	West Midlands
Zone	3
History
Original company	Grand Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
4 July 1837	Opened as Hamstead and Great Barr
1 May 1875	Renamed Great Barr
25 March 1899	Resited
6 May 1974	Renamed Hamstead
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Hamstead from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Hamstead railway station serves the Hamstead, Great Barr and Handsworth Wood areas of the West Midlands, England, located at the junction of Rocky Lane and Old Walsall Road, in the city of Birmingham, on its border with Sandwell. It is situated on the Birmingham-Walsall Line, part of the former Grand Junction Railway, opened in 1837. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.

File:Great Barr station bench 1.jpg

"Great Barr" station bench, photographed at Hamstead in late 1970s/ early 1980s

The first station was opened by the Grand Junction Railway on 4 July 1837, and was named Hamstead and Great Barr; it was renamed Great Barr on 1 May 1875. The station was resited on the opposite side of the road bridge on 25 March 1899; this station, again known as Great Barr, was renamed Hamstead on 6 May 1974. Sidings served the adjacent Hamstead Colliery.

Services

The typical Monday-Saturday daytime service sees two trains per hour in each direction between Walsall and Birmingham New Street (and on through to Wolverhampton) that are operated by Class 323 electric trains. This service is reduced to one train per hour in the evenings and on Sundays.

There are a small number of early morning and late evening trains on weekdays are operated by Class 170 diesel trains and extend past Walsall to either Hednesford or Rugeley Trent Valley. All trains serving the station are operated by London Midland. A limited service (currently one train per week on Saturdays only) between Wolverhampton and Walsall does not operate via Birmingham New Street.

In the case of engineering work on the line (which often occurs on Sundays), Hamstead is usually the last stop for trains to Birmingham from Walsall or the Chase Line. Such services deviate from normal running at Perry Barr North Junction and enter New Street through Soho, merging with the Birmingham to Wolverhampton line just south of Smethwick Rolfe Street. A replacement bus service operates on these days to Hamstead from New Street, calling Duddeston, Aston and Witton beforehand.

Nearby

Hamstead also serves:

• Perry Hall Park (west end)
• Sandwell Valley
  • RSPB Sandwell Valley

and is close to the River Tame.

External links

• Train times and station information for Hamstead railway station from National Rail
• Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Hamstead railway station
• Railways of Warwickshire entry

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Tame Bridge Parkway		London Midland Chase Line		Perry Barr
Tame Bridge Parkway		London Midland Wolverhampton-Walsall not via Birmingham		Smethwick Rolfe Street
Historical railways
Newton Road Line open, station closed		London and North Western Railway Chase Line		Perry Barr Line and station open