Northfield railway station

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).

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

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 and 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 . One completely new station was opened at , two others reopened and the remainder rebuilt and upgraded. Northfield received new slow line platforms as part of the £7.4 million upgrade package. and other improvements to the designs of the architect John Broome 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.

Services

The station is served by West Midlands Trains with local Transport for West Midlands branded "Cross-City" services, operated using Electric multiple units (EMUs) until September 2024 and currently by EMUs.

The off-peak service pattern is as follows:

Mondays to Saturdays:

• 4tph northbound to via , and , departing from Platform 1.
  • Of which:
    • 2tph continue to via , calling at all stations except .
• 4tph southbound to , departing from Platform 4.
  • Of which:
    • 2tph continue to via , calling at all stations.
    • 2tph continue to , 1tph does not call at .

Sundays:

• 2 tph northbound to Lichfield Trent Valley.
• 2 tph southbound to Redditch.
• 1 tph northbound to Birmingham New Street.
• 1 tph southbound to Bromsgrove.

Services on Sundays call at all stations between Lichfield T.V. and Redditch and all stations between Bromsgrove and Birmingham New Street.

Connections

National Express West Midlands route 48 (West Bromwich - Hawkesley via Harborne and Bearwood ) stops on nearby Church Hill.

Kev’s Cars and Coaches route 19 (Maypole - 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

References

1. [http://warwickshirerailways.com/lms/mrn768.htm Northfield Station]''Warwickshire Railways''; Retrieved 31 May 2016
2. Tamworth Herald - Saturday 1 November 1913
3. [http://www.redditch-mrc.com/Redditch%20Railways%20-%20Cross%20City%20Line.htm "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.
5. "Class 323 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
6. "Class 730 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
7. "Train Timetables and Schedules {{!}} Northfield".
8. "The Cross City Line: Lichfield Trent Valley – Four Oaks – Sutton Coldfield – Birmingham – University – Bromsgrove / Redditch {{!}} Timetable from Sunday 15 December 2024 until 17 May 2025".