Stafford railway station

Stafford railway station serves the county town of Stafford in Staffordshire, England. As it lies at the junction of the Trent Valley Line and the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line, it is an important main line interchange station on the West Coast Main Line.

The present station, built in 1962, is an example of the Brutalist style of architecture - the beauty of the building was perceived to be its very functionality, and its design follows the Modernist approach.

History


The first station was built by the Grand Junction Railway and opened in July 1837. It soon became inadequate and was replaced by a second station in 1844. A third station was built in 1862 which was eventually replaced by the current concrete brutalist building in 1962, built as part of the modernisation programme which saw the electrification of the West Coast Main Line.

Lines originally built by the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway and the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company (to Shrewsbury) also used the station. The Stafford to Uttoxeter line closed to passenger traffic in 1939, with the Shrewsbury closing as part of the Beeching Axe.

Following the rebuilding the station in the 1960s, Isobell, a narrow gauge engine built by local firm W.G. Bagnall stood on a plinth on the opposite side of Station Road at the junction of Railway Street, until it was removed in the mid 1980s. Called Isobell, it is now on the Amerton Railway.

Two accidents have happened at Stafford, both in recent years:


 * On 4 August 1990, an out-of-service train heading to a depot in Birmingham crashed into the back of an express train bound for Penzance on Platform 4 at Stafford station. The driver was killed and 36 people were injured.
 * On 8 March 1996, a mail train collided with a freight train carrying industrial acid just south of Stafford. A mail sorter was killed and another 22 people were injured. The mail train locomotive was catapulted up the embankment and came to rest against a house.

The station today
There are five platforms in use at the station, all of which are accessible from either of the main lines that converge from the south. Platform 1 is used by services to London and some CrossCountry services to Birmingham, 3 by Virgin Trains and some London Midland services from London, 4 by Arriva Trains Wales, London Midland and some CrossCountry services to Birmingham, 5 by services from Birmingham and most London Midland services from the Trent Valley and 6 by some London Midland services to Crewe.

Platform 6 used to be the terminus of the Chase Line from Walsall and Birmingham, however this service has now been cut back to Rugeley Trent Valley, it is also used for Railtours and is split in to "a" and "b" sections. The former bay platform 2 is no longer used by passenger trains nor the western most platform last used by Royal Mail trains.

Services


From the south, two branches of the West Coast Main Line meet here: the Trent Valley Line and the Birmingham line. To the north, the trunk of the line continues towards Crewe, whilst the Manchester branch goes on to Stoke-on-Trent.

The station is currently served by four train operators (Virgin Trains, London Midland and CrossCountry, with limited services from Arriva Trains Wales) and rail replacement bus services.

Typical weekday off-peak services are as follows, in trains per hour (tph).

Southbound Rail Services

 * 2tph to Birmingham New Street. Operated by London Midland.
 * 1tph to London Euston. Operated by London Midland.
 * 1tph to London Euston only. Operated by Virgin Trains.
 * 1tph to Bournemouth. Operated by CrossCountry.
 * 1tph to Bristol Temple Meads, with some trains continuing further. Operated by CrossCountry.
 * 1 train per day to Birmingham New Street. Operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Northbound Rail Services

 * 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street.  Operated by Virgin Trains.
 * 3tph to Crewe, 2tph continue to Liverpool Lime Street. Operated by London Midland.
 * 2tph to Manchester Piccadilly. Operated by CrossCountry.
 * 1 train per day to Holyhead via Chester. Operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Rail Replacement Bus Services
Along the line between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, many stations are in use, but not served by rail services. Instead, a rail replacement bus service operates to serve these stations.
 * Service 490 to Stone Granville Square, via Norton Bridge.
 * Service 491 to Norton Bridge.

A connecting service operates from Stone to Stoke city centre via Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station (the X1 service, operated by Bakerbus), departing every hour throughout the day on weekdays and Saturdays. This service calls at more stations along the line that is not served by any rail services, including Barlaston and Wedgwood.

No Sunday service operates on either bus routes.

Future services
In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies, in its "Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network" report, proposed the reopening of the Link to Wellington to provide extra connections to the west and to provide alternate routes.