The Hawthorns station

The Hawthorns station is a railway station and tram stop, opened in 1995 in Sandwell, near Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The station shares its name with the local football ground, The Hawthorns, the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C., which it serves.

History
Between 1931 and 1968, The Hawthorns Halt occupied the site of the current station, opened by the Great Western Railway on their London (Paddington) to Birkenhead via Birmingham (Snow Hill) line. It served football specials and as such was not deemed worthy of 'station' status. It consisted of three platforms: platform 3 catering for return travel to Stourbridge, with platforms 1 and 2 being sited the other side of Halfords Lane.

The present station was opened in 1995, as part of the "Jewellery Line" project to restore services to Birmingham Snow Hill, this time it opened as a fully fledged station with regular services on the cross-city Snow Hill Lines. In 1999 the Midland Metro tram line opened between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, adding two tram platforms alongside the two railway platforms.

Services
Most trains are operated by London Midland. The Monday to Saturday daytime service sees trains approximately every 10 minutes in each direction, operating between Stourbridge Junction, Birmingham Snow Hill, and either Dorridge or Whitlocks End. Many trains continue beyond Stourbridge to Kidderminster, Worcester Foregate Street or Great Malvern, and some continue beyond Whitlocks End to Stratford-upon-Avon. Extra services are laid on around the time of football matches to assist fans in travelling to and from the match.

Chiltern Railways services operate in peak hours only, between and. Unlike London Midland services, very few Chiltern trains call at The Hawthorns.

Midland Metro services operate at frequent intervals, between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton St Georges.

Its passenger numbers are assisted with free parking and its close proximity to Junction 1 of the M5. Pedestrian and vehicular access is via Halfords Lane.