Northfield
National Rail
General information
LocationNorthfield, Birmingham
England
Coordinates52°24′29″N 1°57′50″W / 52.408°N 1.964°W / 52.408; -1.964
Grid referenceSP024789
Managed byWest Midlands Railway
Transit authorityTransport for West Midlands
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeNFD
Fare zone4
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Opened1870
Key dates
1978Rebuilt
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.989 million
2019/20Decrease 0.981 million
2020/21Decrease 0.173 million
2021/22Increase 0.392 million
2022/23Increase 0.489 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Northfield railway station serves the Northfield area of Birmingham, England. It is situated on the Cross-City Line, and is managed by West Midlands Trains, who also operate all of the rail services that serve it.

History

The station was opened on 1 September 1870 by the Midland Railway. In 1892, the line through Northfield was quadrupled (though only the inner pair of lines had platform access).[1]

In 1913 it was the subject of an arson attack by suffragettes. The fire was extinguished before serious damage was done.[2]

The station was placed under threat of closure in 1963, when the suburban service to Redditch was listed for withdrawal in the Beeching Report and its frequency cut significantly. Following widespread public opposition and a campaign by local MPs, the route was subsequently reprieved in 1965 but for the next thirteen years it only received a limited service (just four return trips per day to & from New Street).

In May 1978, the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive launched the new Cross City line suburban service, which linked the existing New Street to Lichfield route to a revamped service along the former Midland main line through Kings Norton to a newly re-sited terminus at Longbridge. One completely new station was opened at University (Birmingham), two others reopened and the remainder rebuilt & upgraded. Northfield received new slow line platforms as part of the £7.4 million upgrade package.[3] and other improvements to the designs of the architect John Broome[4] Since then, the station has received a regular interval service from Birmingham and a variety of other improvements (notably the extension of the route at both ends in the 1980s and electrification in 1993).

In 2013, lifts were built on both sides of the subway to allow disabled access to both platforms.

It currently has two operational platforms, numbered '1' and '4', with a disused island platform in the centre of the four-track lines.

Station masters

  • J.W. Brookes 1870 - 1875[5]
  • Edgar Roach 1875[5] - 1884[6]
  • William Morton 1884[6] - 1915 - ????
  • J.W Hook 1919[7] - ???? (formerly station master at Wadborough)
  • Harry Ariss 1937[8] - ca. 1940 (afterwards station master at Water Orton)
  • Fernley W. Maker 1952 - 1957
  • F.G. Courtney 1957[9] - ????

Services

All rail services at the station are provided by West Midlands Trains, on the Cross-City Line.

All the services at this station are operated by Class 323 electric trains.

Service Frequency:

4 trains per hour in each direction (Mon-Sat daytimes).

3 trains per hour in each direction (on Sundays)

Northbound services terminate at either Four Oaks, Lichfield Trent Valley or (on Sunday services from Bromsgrove) Birmingham New Street.

Southbound services terminate at either Bromsgrove or Redditch.[10][11]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
West Midlands Railway
Cross-City Line

Connections

National Express West Midlands route 46 (Northfield - Queen Elizabeth Hospital via Kings Norton) stops on nearby Church Hill.

Kev’s Cars and Coaches routes 19 (Maypole - Rubery) and 42 (Northfield - Queen Elizabeth Hospital via Rubery) stops directly outside the station building.

Facilities

The station has a ticket office and Automated Ticket Machines. The station is also equipped with Real-Time Information boards and recorded announcements.

The station has a small car park, provided free by Transport for West Midlands.

References

  1. ↑ Northfield StationWarwickshire Railways; Retrieved 31 May 2016
  2. ↑ Tamworth Herald - Saturday 1 November 1913
  3. ↑ "History of the Cross City Line" Redditch Model Railway Club; Retrieved 31 May 2016
  4. ↑ Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 155. ISBN 9780860936855.
  5. 1 2 "1871-1879 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 632. 1871. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 "1881-1898 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 334. 1881. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Former Wadborough Station Master". Evesham Standard and West Midland Observer. England. 29 March 1930. Retrieved 31 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Promotion". Banbury Advertiser. England. 1 April 1937. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "Mr. F.G. Courtney". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 3 April 1957. Retrieved 31 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Train Timetables and Schedules | Northfield". West Midlands Railway.
  11. ↑ "Train Times | The Cross City Line | 21 May until 9 December 2023". West Midlands Railway.
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