View source for Willenhall Bilston Street railway station

{{Short description|Disused railway station in Willenhall, Walsall}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox station
| name          = Willenhall Bilston Street
| status        = Disused
| image         = File:Willenhall former Station Site.jpg
| caption       = Site of former station
| borough       = [[Willenhall]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Walsall]]
| country       = England
| coordinates   = {{coord|52.5822|-2.0534|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name     = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SO964982|25|SO964982}}
| platforms     = 2
| original      = [[Grand Junction Railway]]
| pregroup      = [[London and North Western Railway]]
| postgroup     = [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]]
| years1        = 1837
| events1       = Opened<ref name="RABWM">{{cite web|url=http://www.railaroundbirmingham.co.uk/Stations/willenhall.php|title=Willenhall Bilston Street Station|work=Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands|access-date=30 March 2017}}</ref>
| years2        = 1965
| events2       = Closed<ref name="RABWM" />
}}

'''Willenhall Bilston Street railway station''' was a station built on the [[Grand Junction Railway]] in 1837.<ref>{{cite book |last=Drake |first=James |date=1838 |title=Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838) |publisher=Moorland Reprints |isbn=0903485257}}</ref>{{rp|22}} It served the town of [[Willenhall]], and was located just to the south of the town centre. It was one of two railway stations in the town - the other being [[Willenhall Stafford Street railway station|Willenhall Stafford Street]].

The station is expected to reopen in 2025.

==Closure==

The station closed in 1965,<ref name="RABWM" /> and there is little evidence of the former station's existence at the site. The lines through the station are in use today as part of the [[Walsall–Wolverhampton line]].

==Potential reopening ==

There were proposals within the West Midlands Local Transport plan to reopen the station for passenger traffic, but these were shelved.
In December 2016, as part of the New Station Fund 2 project, the West Midlands Combined Authority put in proposals to reopen the station to passenger services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trundleage.co.uk/funding-schemes/new-stations-fund-second-round/|title=New Stations Fund (second round)|work=Proposed Railway Schemes|access-date=30 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://trundleage.co.uk/2016/12/nsf-bid-submitted-willenhall/|title=NSF bid submitted for Willenhall|work=Proposed Railway Schemes|date=7 December 2016|access-date=30 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walsalladvertiser.co.uk/new-railway-station-for-willenhall-in-walsall/story-29958604-detail/story.html|title=New railway station for Willenhall in Walsall?|work=Walsall Advertiser|date=5 December 2016|access-date=30 March 2017}} {{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In September 2017, the [[West Midlands Combined Authority]] proposed that the station along with {{rws|Darlaston James Bridge}} would reopen by 2024 as part of a £4 billion transport plan.<ref>{{cite web|title=£4 billion of transport infrastructure over coming decade|url=https://westmidlandscombinedauthority.org.uk/news/4-billion-of-transport-infrastructure-over-coming-decade/|publisher=[[West Midlands Combined Authority]]|access-date=23 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=West Midlands Strategic Transport Plan|url=https://www.tfwm.org.uk/strategy/movement-for-growth/|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref>

In March 2018, the station was awarded funding to reopen and would be the first time Willenhall has had a rail connection in over 40 years. The then Transport minister [[Chris Grayling]] confirmed that it will reopen.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Preece|first1=Ashley|title=Green light for new train station between Walsall and Wolverhampton|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/green-light-new-train-station-14388342|access-date=10 March 2018|agency=Birmingham Live}}</ref>

The new station will now be constructed on the Wolverhampton side of Bilston Street.

Planning applications for the two stations on the line were formally submitted in March 2020 and were granted permission in October 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reopening of Darlaston and Willenhall train stations moves closer |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2020/03/02/re-opening-of-darlaston-and-willenhall-train-stations-moves-closer/ |publisher=Express and Star |access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.railengineer.co.uk/two-new-black-country-railway-stations-receive-planning-approval/ |title=Two new Black Country railway stations receive planning approval}}</ref> The station was planned to reopen to passengers in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wmre.org.uk/willenhall-and-darlaston-stations/|title=Willenhall and Darlaston stations|work=West Midlands Rail Executive|archive-date=23 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223104543/https://wmre.org.uk/willenhall-and-darlaston-stations/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2023/04/08/ground-conditions-still-a-significant-risk-to-new-55m-rail-stations---bosses/|title=Ground conditions still a 'significant risk' to new £55m rail stations - bosses|website=Express and Star|date=8 April 2023|last=Parkes|first=Thomas|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521164649/https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2023/04/08/ground-conditions-still-a-significant-risk-to-new-55m-rail-stations---bosses/|url-status=live}}</ref> now expected in 2025.

{{rail start}}
{{Future rail insert |text=Future services }}
{{rail line|previous={{rws|Wolverhampton}}|next={{rws|Darlaston James Bridge}}|route=[[West Midlands Trains|West Midlands Railway]]<br /><small>[[Walsall–Wolverhampton line|Wolverhampton – Walsall]]</small>|col={{WMT colour}} }}
{{Disused Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|previous=[[Portobello railway station (Wolverhampton)|Portobello]]|next=[[Darlaston James Bridge railway station|Darlaston James Bridge]]|route=[[Walsall to Wolverhampton Line]]<br /><small>earlier [[Grand Junction Railway]]</small>|col=004400}}
{{End}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.westmidlandsltp.gov.uk/file_view.php?id=786 West Midlands Local Transport Plan for the corridor] {{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{West Midlands railway stations|disused}}
{{Current rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom}}

[[Category:Disused railway stations in Walsall]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1837]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965]]
[[Category:1837 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1965 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Beeching closures in England]]
[[Category:Former London and North Western Railway stations]]
[[Category:Willenhall]]


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