Olton railway station
Olton  | |
|---|---|
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1528099.jpg) | |
| General information | |
| Location | Olton, Metropolitan Borough of Solihull England |
| Grid reference | SP134822 |
| Managed by | West Midlands Trains |
| Transit authority | Transport for West Midlands |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | OLT |
| Fare zone | 4 |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| History | |
| Opened | 1869 |
| Passengers | |
| 2018/19 |  0.556 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.564 million |
| 2020/21 |  0.106 million |
| 2021/22 | 0.285 million |
| 2022/23 | 0.343 million |
| Location | |
 | |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
Olton railway station serves the Olton area of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. The station is operated by West Midlands Trains. The entrance seen in the centre where the station's booking office is located leads into a tunnel which runs under the tracks providing an access staircase and lift to the island platform. The station also has a car park and bicycle racks.
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Olton station was opened in 1869[1] on the GWR's Oxford & Birmingham Branch and its prime role was as a suburban passenger station for Birmingham commuters, explaining why the booking office was located on the down platform.
Olton originally had two signal boxes, the first of which only had 10 levers. It was built by McKenzie and Holland and located at the Leamington Spa end of the up platform which was replaced in June 1913 but was ultimately closed in 1933.
Expansion[edit]
Olton station originally had a two-platform configuration with basic facilities, but taking advantage of the Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act 1929, the Great Western Railway continued to quadruple the Birmingham Main Line as far as Lapworth,[1] rebuilding five stations including Olton with two wide island platforms in 1932. The new approach 'Station Drive' was also constructed.
Current layout[edit]
The station now has one wide island platform with trains to Solihull, Leamington Spa and London stopping one side and to Birmingham and Worcester the other. The platform building has been significantly reduced by the removal of its roof canopy.
Incidents[edit]
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham, discussing railway accidents in the city, notes that:[2]
Police-officer Kimberley was killed in the crush at Olton Station on the Race Day, Feb. 11th, 1875.
Services[edit]
The station is served by West Midlands Trains on the Snow Hill Lines.[3][4]
Services operate every 30 minutes in each direction.
- 2 trains per hour run westbound to Birmingham Snow Hill, continuing to Worcester Foregate Street and/or Worcester Shrub Hill via Smethwick Galton Bridge, Stourbridge Junction, Kidderminster and Droitwich Spa
- 2 trains per hour operate eastbound to Dorridge via Solihull, one of which continues to Stratford-upon-Avon. Two evening services extend to Leamington Spa via Warwick.
On Sundays, there is an hourly service each way between Stourbridge Junction and Dorridge.
Olton is no longer served by Chiltern Railways services as of the May 2023 timetable change.[5][6] Services used to run southbound towards Banbury, High Wycombe and Marylebone.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Hendry, R. Preston; Hendry, R. Powell (1992). Paddington to the Mersey. Oxford Publishing Company. p. 81. ISBN 9780860934424. OCLC 877729237.
- ^ Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham. Cornish Brothers. 1885. p. 5.
- ^ "Train timetables and schedules | Olton".
- ^ "Train times | Snow Hill Lines - Worcester to Birmingham Snow Hill, Solihull and Stratford upon Avon | 21 May until 9 December 2023". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ "Timetable - 21 May 2023 - December 2023: London to High Wycombe, Bicester, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham". Chiltern Railways.
- ^ "Our timetables have changed". Chiltern Railways.
External links[edit]
- Train times and station information for Olton railway station from National Rail
- Warwickshire's Railways: Olton station
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Olton station
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acocks Green | West Midlands Railway Leamington/Stratford-Worcester Snow Hill Lines |
Solihull | ||