Chase Line
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The Chase Line is the railway line from Birmingham New Street to Walsall and Rugeley.
The line from Birmingham to Walsall (sometimes referred to as the Walsall Line) has two alternative routes, both of which are electrified at 25 kV AC overhead. Of the two routes, one leaves New Street from the east, following the Birmingham Cross-City Line as far as Aston, where it diverges to the west. The other route leaves New Street from the west, and travels via Soho. Beyond Walsall, the line is not electrified, and continues north to Hednesford and Rugeley. The section from Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley was previously freight-only, and reopened to passenger trains in stages between 1989 and 1998.
The line running via Aston, Perry Barr and Bescot is the former Grand Junction Railway, opened in 1837.
Places served on the route are listed below. For information on the stations, please refer to the list in the route map.
Chase Line (Walsall-Rugeley-Stafford)
- Stafford
- Rugeley
- Hednesford
- Cannock
- Great Wyrley (closed in 1964)
- Landywood
- Bloxwich
- Walsall
Walsall Line (Birmingham-Walsall)
- Walsall
- Bescot Stadium
- Tame Bridge Parkway
- Hamstead
- Perry Barr
- Witton
- Aston
- Duddeston
- Birmingham
Passenger services on the line are operated by Central Trains on behalf of Centro. Two types of services are operated.
- Stopping trains from Birmingham New Street to Walsall are operated by Class 323 electrical multiple units. Some stopping trains continue to Hednesford, but use Class 150 diesel multiple units as this section of line is not electrified. Many electric trains from Walsall continue from Birmingham New Street to terminate at Birmingham International, and vice versa.
- Services from New Street to Rugeley run non-stop to Walsall. Many services continue beyond Rugeley to Stafford, working over the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line. These services are also operated by Class 150 units.
[edit] Re-opening
The line between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley closed to passengers in 1965, although it remained as a freight only line. It re-opened in stages, as follows:
- 10 April 1989 — Walsall to Hednesford
- 2 June 1997 — Hednesford to Rugeley Town
- 25 May 1998 — Rugeley Town to Stafford
[edit] References
- A Century of Railways Around Birmingham and the West Midlands, Volume 3 1973-1999, John Boynton.
- Quail Railway Track Diagrams, Volume 4: Midlands & North West (ISBN 0-9549866-0-1)
