Duddeston
Duddeston station
General information
Location	Duddeston, Birmingham England
Coordinates	52°29′17″N 1°52′16″W / 52.488°N 1.871°W / 52.488; -1.871
Grid reference	SP088878
Managed by	West Midlands Railway
Transit authority	Transport for West Midlands
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	DUD
Fare zone	2
Classification	DfT category E
Key dates
1837	Opened as Vauxhall station
1869	Rebuilt and reopened
1889	renamed Vauxhall and Duddeston
6 May 1974	renamed Duddeston
Passengers
2018/19	0.343 million
2019/20	0.408 million
2020/21	0.116 million
2021/22	0.242 million
2022/23	0.385 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Duddeston railway station is situated in the Duddeston area of Birmingham, England on the Redditch-Birmingham New Street-Four Oaks-Lichfield Cross-City Line and the Chase Line. Services on the Cross-City Line (and occasionally on the Chase line) are usually operated by Class 323 electric multiple units, while Class 350 electric multiple units are commonly used on services to and from Walsall.

History

Vauxhall station in 1837

Duddeston opened in 1837 as Vauxhall, the temporary Birmingham terminus of the Grand Junction Railway from Warrington.^[1]: 12 When the permanent terminus at Curzon Street opened in 1839, Vauxhall became a goods-only station. An extract from an 1859 railway inspector's report into a minor collision reveals something of how the station was operated:^[2]

There are sidings on both sides of the main line, and the station being on a curve, and the view interrupted by buildings, it is necessary to have a series of signalmen at short intervals for the protection of the switches and crossings connected with the main line

One of these signalmen (for the protection of the down line), when he had any shunting to do, had to warn a signalman on his right by turning on a disc signal; and he had also to work the arm of a semaphore signal on the Birmingham side of the station to stop all down trains on the main line.

The station was rebuilt and re-opened to passengers in 1869 under the LNWR and was renamed Vauxhall and Duddeston in 1889.

In 1941 it was hit by a bomb during a night raid and was destroyed. It was rebuilt in a temporary fashion, and in the mid-1950s it caught fire and was subsequently rebuilt.

The line through the station, to Walsall via Perry Barr, was electrified in 1966 as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme.^[3] The actual energization of the line from Coventry to Walsall through Perry Barr took place on 15 August 1966.^[4]

The station was renamed Duddeston on 6 May 1974.^[5]

The entrance and ticket hall are over the tracks, on the Duddeston Mill Road bridge. The former Midland Railway line to Derby is nearby.

Adjacent are railway sheds that were once used for industrial purposes. They are now disused and the entrance has been blocked to prevent trespassing. A shed on the opposite side of the station to the remaining sheds has been demolished and its site is wasteland. The station has two island platforms serving four tracks, but only one island platform remains in use; the other has fallen into disrepair.

The remaining platform features artwork on black metal backgrounds.

Facilities

The station has a ticket office located on the concourse, though it is open from 08:00 to 10:00 on Mondays to Fridays only.^[6] There is also a ticket machine on the concourse.^[7]

In 2011, London Midland proposed the closure of the ticket office.^[8] The request was denied.^[9]

Services

Platform artwork and disused sheds

A London Midland Class 323 departs Duddeston with a service to Redditch in 2008

Duddeston is served by Aston is served by West Midlands Trains with services on both the Cross-City Line,^[10] using Class 323 Electric multiple units (EMUs), and on the Chase Line^[11][12] using Class 350 EMUs.^[13]

The typical service pattern is as follows:

Sundays

• 2tph northbound to Lichfield Trent Valley, calling at all stations.
• 2tph southbound to Redditch, calling at all stations.
• 2tph to Walsall, calling at all stations.
• 2tph to Wolverhampton, calling at all stations.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Aston		West Midlands Railway Lichfield – Four Oaks – Birmingham – Bromsgrove/Redditch Cross-City Line		Birmingham New Street
		West Midlands Railway Rugeley – Walsall – Birmingham – Wolverhampton Chase Line

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duddeston railway station.

• Train times and station information for Duddeston railway station from National Rail
• Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Duddeston Station
• Warwickshire Railways page