Birmingham Snow Hill railway station

Birmingham Snow Hill National Rail Midland Metro

Birmingham Snow Hill station
Location
Place Colmore Row
Local authority City of Birmingham
Coordinates 52°28′59″N 1°53′56″W / 52.483°N 1.899°W / 52.483; -1.899Coordinates: 52°28′59″N 1°53′56″W / 52.483°N 1.899°W / 52.483; -1.899
Grid reference SP069873
Operations
Station code BSW
Managed by London Midland
Number of platforms 3 National Rail
2 Midland Metro
DfT category C1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2011/12 Increase 4.997 million
2012/13 Decrease 4.402 million
2013/14 Increase 4.435 million
2014/15 Increase 4.538 million
2015/16 Increase 4.713 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE Transport for West Midlands
Zone 1
History
Original company Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
1 October 1852 Opened as Birmingham
February 1858 Renamed Birmingham Snow Hill
1871 Rebuilt
1906–1912 Rebuilt
6 March 1972 Closed
5 October 1987 Rebuilt and reopened
31 May 1999 Midland Metro opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Birmingham Snow Hill from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England. It is one of the three main city-centre stations in Birmingham along with Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street.

Snow Hill was once the main station of the Great Western Railway in Birmingham, and at its height it rivalled New Street station, with competitive services to destinations including London Paddington, Wolverhampton Low Level, Birkenhead Woodside, Wales and South West England. The station has been rebuilt several times since the first station at Snow Hill; a temporary wooden structure, was opened in 1852; it was rebuilt as a permanent station in 1871, and then rebuilt again on a much grander scale during 1906-1912. The electrification of the main line from London to New Street in the 1960s saw New Street favoured over Snow Hill, which saw most of its services withdrawn in the late 1960s. This led to the station's eventual closure in 1972, and demolition five years later. After fifteen years of closure a new Snow Hill station, the present incarnation, was built; it reopened in 1987.

Today, most of the trains using Snow Hill are local services on the Snow Hill Lines operated by London Midland, serving Worcester Shrub Hill, Kidderminster, Stourbridge Junction, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Solihull. The only long distance service into Snow Hill is to London Marylebone operated by Chiltern Railways, via the Chiltern Main Line. Snow Hill is also served by the Midland Metro light rail line from Wolverhampton (via Wednesbury and West Bromwich).

The present Snow Hill station has three platforms for National Rail trains. When it was originally reopened in 1987 it had four, but one was later converted in 1999 for use as a terminus for Midland Metro trams. The original tram terminus closed in November 2015, in order for the extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham city centre to be connected. This includes a dedicated embankment for trams alongside the station, and will also include a new through stop serving Snow Hill. This will eventually allow the fourth platform to be returned to main-line use.

History

Early History

The site of the station was formerly occupied by Oppenheims Glassworks. This was demolished, but many parts of the building and machinery are believed to be buried underneath the station and car park, and during recent development work alongside the station the area was designated as a site of archaeological importance by Birmingham City Council. The station was opened in 1852 on the Great Western Railway (GWR) main line from London Paddington to Wolverhampton Low Level and Birkenhead Woodside. Originally called Birmingham Station, its name was changed to Great Charles Street station, and then Livery Street Station. It was finally renamed Snow Hill in 1858, and the Great Western Hotel was added in 1863.[1]

The facade of the original Snow Hill on Colmore Row
Old Snow Hill station in 1957.

It was never intended to be the main station, but political gaming between the railway companies prevented the railway reaching its original intended terminus at Curzon Street. The original station was a simple temporary wooden structure, consisting of a large wooden shed covering the platforms. In 1871 it was rebuilt, and replaced with a permanent structure. The 1871 station had two through platforms, and bay platforms at the Wolverhampton end, covered by an arched roof.[2] Access to the station was from Livery Street from the side.[3] Trains from the south arrived through Snow Hill Tunnel, built by the cut-and-cover method, and in a cutting from Temple Row to Snow Hill. The cutting was roofed over in 1872 and the Great Western Arcade built on top.[1]

To cope with expanding traffic. Snow Hill station was rebuilt again on a much larger scale between 1906 and 1912. The new station building was intended to compete with New Street, which at the time was a much grander building than it is today. The rebuilt station contained lavish facilities, such as a large booking hall with an arched glass roof, and lavish waiting rooms with oak bars. The main platform area was covered by a large glass and steel overall roof. It consisted of two large Island platforms, containing four through platforms, and four bay platforms for terminating trains at the northern end. The through platforms were long enough to accommodate two trains at a time, and scissors crossings allowed trains to pull in front, or out from behind of other trains stood in a platform, effectively creating a 10 platform station. The line north from Snow Hill towards Hockley was quadrupled at the same time, however the cost of widening the twin track Snow Hill tunnel at the southern end was considered prohibitive. There was not enough capacity through the tunnel to accommodate all of the services, and so, as a solution, Birmingham Moor Street was built as an "overflow" station at the opposite end of the tunnel to take terminating local trains towards Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon.[1][4] The Great Western Hotel was closed at the same time (as guests complained of being kept awake by goods trains running underneath) and converted into railway offices, and a passenger entrance was provided on Colmore Row, which became the station's main entrance.[5]

Historic services

The old station's arched glass booking hall in 1914.

At its height, many trains that now run into New Street station ran into Snow Hill, along with some that no longer run. Services included:[6][7]

Closure

As late as the mid-1960s Snow Hill was still a major station handling millions of passengers annually; in 1964 Snow Hill handled 7.5 million passengers, compared to 10.2 million at New Street.[7] However the electrification of the rival West Coast Main Line into New Street, meant that British Railways decided to concentrate all services into Birmingham into one station, and Snow Hill was seen as being an unnecessary duplication. In 1966 the decision was taken to end main line services through Snow Hill once electrification of the WCML was complete, and divert most of its remaining services through New Street.[10]

An original entrance in Livery Street
Snow Hill in derelict condition being used as a car park in 1977, shortly before demolition.

Long-distance services through Snow Hill ceased in March 1967. Snow Hill tunnel closed to all traffic the following year, with the last train running on 2 March 1968.[11] Local trains towards Leamington Spa and Stratford upon Avon were then terminated at Moor Street.[1] Services to London, the West Country, Stourbridge and Shrewsbury were diverted to New Street, and the branch to Dudley was closed. All that was left was a shuttle service of four trains per day using Class 122 railcars to Langley Green, along with six daily stopping services to Wolverhampton Low Level. With this, as most passenger facilities in the station were withdrawn and virtually the entire site became disused save for one bay platform, Snow Hill then acquired the unfortunate title of "the largest unstaffed railway halt in the country". In March 1972 these last services were withdrawn and the station closed entirely, along with the lines through to Smethwick and Wolverhampton,[1] with the exception of a single line from Smethwick West for Coopers Scrap Metal Works in Handsworth (the works is still in operation to this day).[12]

Following closure, the derelict station was used for several years as a car park.[13] It enjoyed a brief moment of fame in 1976 when it was the setting for a fight scene in the locally set BBC TV drama series Gangsters.[14] However, despite a public outcry, the Snow Hill building was not preserved. The Colmore Row façade was demolished in 1969,[15] and the rest of the station largely demolished in 1977,[16] when the dangerous state of the building was revealed. The ironwork of the station roof was badly corroded in several places, and the unstable ground and foundations on which the station had been built were causing it to slide downhill. A few items, including the original gates and booking hall sign, were saved and later used in the Moor Street restoration.

Rebirth

Colmore Row entrance

The West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority had adopted a policy to restore cross-city rail services through Snow Hill since the 1970s, a project was which completed in two phases.[12]

A Class 150 entering the rebuilt Snow Hill from the north in 2006.

The first phase was completed on 5 October 1987, when the newly rebuilt Snow Hill station opened for services to the south, along with Snow Hill tunnel. The rebuilt station is on a smaller scale than its Edwardian predecessor, built with two island platforms, giving four platform faces. The station's architecture is functional rather than ornate, a multi-storey car park stands over the main platform area, meaning artificial lighting is required on the platforms. Like its predecessor, the main entrance is on Colmore Row. Some parts of the original station are still visible (notably the now-sealed entrance, with GWR crest, in Livery Street).[17]

Initially only local stopping services to Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon used the new station. Services at Moor Street, where these services had previously terminated, were switched from the former terminal platforms, which then closed, on to two newly built through platforms, at the southern end of Snow Hill tunnel, making a through station adjacent to the tunnel mouth.[18]

In May 1993 Network SouthEast reintroduced limited-stop services to London, initially on a two-hourly frequency, routed to Marylebone instead of the pre-closure destination of Paddington.[19] The service proved popular and was increased to an hourly frequency the following year. Chiltern Railways took over the service after privatisation.[20]

Livery Street entrance

The second phase of the Snow Hill reopening project was completed on 24 September 1995, when the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line was reopened to Snow Hill. This allowed the resumption of services to Worcester Shrub Hill via Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster. The "Jewellery Line" project involved reopening the line between Smethwick West and Snow Hill, along with three new stations (Smethwick Galton Bridge, The Hawthorns and Jewellery Quarter).[12][21]

In 1999, the line to Wolverhampton was reopened as a light rail (tram) line, the Midland Metro.

Work began on a new entrance on Livery Street to give commuters access to the lower Snow Hill and Jewellery Quarter part of the city centre in 2005, but it did not open for business until March 2011.[22] The work had a projected cost of £9.94 million, but due to Centro's failure to apply for planning permission, and severe technical difficulties, the cost rose to at least £17 million.[23] Although construction and interior finishes' works were largely complete by December 2010, legal disputes between London Midland, Network Rail and Centro caused delay to the opening of the entrance by over a year.[23]

Station Cat Memorial

Station Cat Memorial tile

In remembrance of a cat kept at the station before its closure, a memorial tile was installed during the works for the reopening. During later refurbishment works in 2014 care was taken that the tile would stay in situ.[24][25]

Services

The station is managed by London Midland, and services are provided by London Midland and Chiltern Railways. There is a small set of sidings at the Hockley end of the station, which can be reached from Platform 1 only. All platforms can be used in either direction; generally platforms 1 or 2 are used for trains heading north, platform 2 is used for trains terminating at the station and platform 3 is used for trains going south. Midland Metro currently uses two small platforms numbered 4 and 5, which are terminating platforms.

Occasional steam-hauled special trains use the station.

Chiltern Railways

Snow Hill is served by regular Chiltern services to and from London Marylebone. Some Chiltern services continue beyond Birmingham to Kidderminster. The Chiltern service is:[26]

London Midland

Local services from Snow Hill, like most local services in the West Midlands, are supported by Transport for West Midlands. They are operated by London Midland. There are six London Midland trains per hour (tph) passing through Snow Hill in each direction, running as follows:[27]

Eastbound:

of which one continues to Stratford-upon-Avon
of which one continues to Stratford-upon-Avon
some peak hour London Midland services continue from Dorridge to Leamington Spa

Westbound:

of which four continue to Kidderminster:
of which two continue to Worcester Foregate Street
(services beyond Worcester, to Malvern and Hereford are irregular, generally about one per hour)
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Jewellery Quarter   London Midland
Snow Hill Lines
  Birmingham Moor Street
Terminus   Chiltern Railways
London-Kidderminster
  Birmingham Moor Street
Jewellery Quarter    
  Heritage railways
Terminus   Vintage Trains
The Shakespeare Express
July–September
  Birmingham Moor Street
Disused railways
Hockley   Great Western Railway & BR
Various Routes (1854–1972)
  Bordesley

Midland Metro stop

St Chads
Midland Metro
Midland Metro tram stop

The former Midland Metro terminus platforms at Snow Hill, in 1999, closed in 2015.
Location Colmore Row
Birmingham
England
Line(s) Line 1 (Birmingham – Wolverhampton)
Platforms 2
Key dates
31 May 1999 (1999-05-31) Original terminus opened
24 October 2015 Terminus closed
2 June 2016 Current stop opened
1 January 2017 Stop renamed St Chads
Traffic
Passengers (2015) Approx. 8,581 daily[28]

Former terminus (1999-2015)

The original Midland Metro stop was the terminus of Line 1 to Wolverhampton and was opened on 31 May 1999. It occupied the space previously used by platform 4 of the main line station. The stop had two platforms, and was approached by a short section of single track.[29]

The Snow Hill terminus was officially closed on 24 October 2015, and the approach line disconnected, in order to allow the new extension into Birmingham City Centre to be connected to the existing line. It is therefore the only Midland Metro stop so far to have been permanently closed. Trams terminated at St Paul's[30] until the first part of the extension was brought into service as far as Bull Street on 6 December 2015.[31]

Current through stop

The current through stop at Snow Hill is at a different location, outside the station and further west, on the existing viaduct near the Livery Street entrance. [32] Funding for this was confirmed in the October 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review.[33][34] A new viaduct was built alongside the station as part of the Snowhill development to carry the tram lines into the city centre.[32] This allows platform 4 to be returned to main line use in the future.[35]

The new Snow Hill through stop was opened on 2 June 2016, two days after the full opening of the city-centre extension to New Street. However, the necessary works to allow passenger access to the stop from the street or adjacent railway station have not yet been completed, meaning passengers can only access the stop via walking alongside the tracks from the city-centre.[36]

In January 2017, the stop was renamed St Chads as the name Snow Hill was misleading for passengers using the mainline station due to the new stops location and the closer proximity of Bull Street stop to the mainline station. The stop is now advertised as an alternate interchange to the mainline station with Bull Street being the main interchange.

Service pattern

Mondays to Saturdays, Midland Metro services in each direction between New Street and Wolverhampton St George's run at six to eight-minute intervals during the day, and at fifteen-minute intervals during the evenings and on Sundays.[37]


Preceding station   Midland Metro   Following station
St Paul's   Line 1   Bull Street

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Birmingham Snow Hill Station - A brief overview". Warwickshire Railways. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  2. "Photograph of 1871 station - www.warwickshirerailways.com". warwickshirerailways.com. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  3. Boynton 2001, pp. 10-12.
  4. Boynton 2001, p. 20.
  5. Boynton 2001, p. 21.
  6. Boynton 2001.
  7. 1 2 Christiansen, Rex (1983). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 7 The West Midlands. David St John Thomas David and Charles. ISBN 0946537 00 3.
  8. "Great Western railcars.". The Great Western Archive. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  9. 1 2 Boynton, John (1994). Shakespeare's Railways. Mid England Books. ISBN 0-9522248-1-X.
  10. Boynton 2001, pp. 49-59.
  11. "warwickshirerailways.com - gwrbsh1151". warwickshirerailways.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 Boynton 2001, p. 66.
  13. Birmingham Snow Hill Station 31 December 1974 – Flickr.com
  14. Doherty, Andy. "Gangsters – BBC Television Series". birminghamroundabout.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  15. "Railway Hotels". Railway Britain. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  16. Flickr.com
  17. "Snow Hill Station 1852–1972 : 1987 - Present". Rail Around Birmingham. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  18. "Moor Street Station 1909 - Present". Rail Around Birmingham. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  19. "The History of Network SouthEast. Year by Year Jan 1993 - Dec 1993". Network SouthEast Railway Society. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  20. Boynton 2001, p. 70.
  21. "Those Were the Days" (PDF). Stourbridge Line User Group. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  22. Samuel, A. (31 March 2011). "New rail station entrance boosts access to Birmingham". Rail.co. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  23. 1 2 "Legal wrangle delays opening of new £17m Snow Hill station entrance". Birmingham Post. 10 September 2010.
  24. Prangle, Brian (24 December 2014). "Mysterious Objects: No 6 in an occasional series". Mappa Mercia. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  25. Prangle, Brian (24 December 2014). "Musings on tag historic=memorial". Mappa Mercia. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  26. Table 115 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  27. Table 71 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  28. "2015 West Midlands Travel Trends" (PDF). wmita.org.uk. West Midlands ITA. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  29. "Midland Metro : Tram Stops : Birmingham, Snow Hill". The Trams. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  30. "Midland Metro says farewell to Snow Hill terminus". British Trams Online. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  31. "Extensions open in Birmingham and Manchester". British Trams Online. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  32. 1 2 "Tramway expansion for Birmingham Metro" (PDF). Railway Herald (216). 22 March 2010. p. 5. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  33. "Comprehensive spending review backs light rail". Railway Gazette International. London. 29 October 2010.
  34. "Spending Review backs Midland Metro and New Street plan". BBC News. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  35. Plisner, Peter. "Metro takes centre stage". Railpro. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  36. "In Pictures: Snow Hill opens to the public". British Trams Online. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  37. "Network West Midlands Timetable". Network West Midlands. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

Bibliography

Further reading

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