| Lichfield Trent Valley | |
|---|---|
| A northward view from the down platform at Lichfield Trent Valley (low-level station). The Virgin Pendolino train has just passed the signal box on the Down Fast Line. The high-level platform, for Cross-City Line services to Birmingham and Redditch, is behind the camera. The ticket office is in the temporary wooden building under the "Way Out" sign. Photographed on 5 September 2006. | |
| Location | |
| Place | Lichfield |
| Local authority | Lichfield |
| Grid reference | SK136099 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | LTV |
| Managed by | London Midland |
| Number of platforms | 3 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
|
| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 0.187 million |
| 2005/06 * | 0.222 million |
| 2006/07 * | 0.231 million |
| 2007/08 * | 0.248 million |
| 2008/09 * | 0.704 million |
| 2009/10 * | 0.743 million |
| History | |
| Opened 1847 | |
| History | |
| Original company | Trent Valley Railway South Staffordshire Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| 15 September 1847 | Original station on Trent Valley Rly opened as Lichfield |
| August 1849 | Station on South Staffs Rly opened as Lichfield Trent Valley Junction |
| 3 July 1871 | Earlier stations closed; present Lichfield Trent Valley station opened |
| 18 January 1965 | High Level platforms closed |
| 28 November 1988 | High Level platforms re-opened |
| 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 Lichfield Trent Valley from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. | |
Lichfield Trent Valley is a split-level railway station on the outskirts of the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations in Lichfield, the other being Lichfield City in the city-centre.
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The Trent Valley Railway (TVR), which connected the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) at Rugby with the Grand Junction Railway (GJR) at Stafford, was formed on 21 July 1845[1] and opened on 15 September 1847,[2] and included a station at Lichfield;[3] in the meantime, the L&BR, GJR and Manchester and Birmingham Railway had amalgamated in July 1846 as the London and North Western Railway (LNWR),[4] which itself absorbed the TVR later in 1846.[2] This first station at Lichfield was built in 1847. This station was situated north of Burton Road approximately 0.5 miles north of the current crossing point. The architect, John Livock, built the station in a Tudor Gothic style.[5]
The South Staffordshire Railway (SSR), which connected Dudley with Burton-on-Trent, was formed on 6 October 1846 by amalgamation of two smaller railways, both of which had been formed on 3 August 1846.[6] The line north of Walsall opened on 9 April 1849,[7] but the station named Lichfield Trent Valley Junction was not opened until August 1849.[3] Lichfield Trent Valley Junction was built south of Burton Road close to Streethay just past the present signal box. From it a spur line descended to the other station north of the crossing point to allow passengers to transfer to the LNWR main line below.[8] The SSR was leased to the LNWR in February 1861, and was absorbed by that company on 15 July 1867.[9]
On 3 July 1871, both of these stations were closed by the LNWR, which replaced them with a single station; Lichfield Trent Valley was built in its present location with high and low-level platforms adjoining each other. The Low Level platforms, serving the Rugby-Stafford line, were situated approximately 400 m (440 yd) south of the original TVR station. The High Level platforms closed on 18 January 1965 with the withdrawal of passenger services between Lichfield City and Burton-on-Trent. On 28 November 1988, the service between Birmingham and Lichfield City was extended, and the High Level platforms at Lichfield Trent Valley were reopened as a terminus.[3][10]
The station is not particularly near the city, being one mile from the city-centre. Nor, indeed is it near the River Trent; the name comes from the Trent Valley Railway, which built the line between Rugby and Stafford as mentioned above. It is an example of a station built primarily to serve a railway junction.
Facilities are basic - the original station building burned down in the 1990s, and the ticket office is now a temporary wooden building. Its low-level platforms are located on the Trent Valley Line section of the West Coast Main Line. The Fastest passenger services are run by Virgin Trains, although only a handful of peak time and weekend services call at the station. From December 2008 hourly services commenced in each direction thanks to the new London Midland semi-fast service between Euston and Crewe via Northampton and Stoke-on-Trent (Monday to Saturday daytime plus a limited Sunday service). During weekdays, the London Midland service are designed to connect with fast Virgin trains services at Rugby, offering a total journey time between Lichfield Trent Valley and London Euston of 1 hour and 35 minutes including the connection time.
A single platform at right-angles to the low-level station, accessible by a staircase from the latter, forms the high-level part of the station. This forms the northern terminus of the Cross-City Line, and is served by two trains an hour, every day of the week.
The route north of Lichfield on the high-level line, is connected to the southbound WCML by a single track chord, and runs via Alrewas to Wichnor Junction, near Burton upon Trent. Primarily a freight route, this line is also used by Virgin Trains to move trains from Birmingham to Bombardier's maintenance depot at Central Rivers, near Burton. The route is sometimes used as a means of diverting trains when engineering work takes place between Birmingham New Street and Tamworth; also by occasional excursion trains.
The signal box was demolished over the weekend of 15 June 2008 as part of the West Coast upgrade.
On New Year's Day 1946 it was the site of a points failure resulting in a fish train being diverted into a stationary passenger train resulting in the deaths of 20 people and injury of 21 more.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Midland
London - Crewe
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| Terminus | London Midland | |||
| Virgin Trains | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
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Line and station closed
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London and North Western Railway |
Line and station open
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