Berkswell railway station

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 larger village 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 the Tile Hill railway station and the Canley railway station were also removed in the upgrade.

Berkswell was once the junction with a line that ran to Kenilworth, which has now been closed. The trackbed of this line is gradually being converted into a "Greenway" for walking, cycling, and horse riding.

Services

On Mondays to Saturdays, Berkswell is served by two trains an hour between Birmingham New Street and Coventry, one of which continues to London Euston. On Sundays, there is an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Northampton.

External links

• Train times and station information for Berkswell railway station from National Rail
• Photographs of Berkswell station at warwickshirerailways.com