Willenhall and Darlaston stations
We’re investing £55 million in 2 new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston. This is part of the West Midlands Rail Programme (WMRP).
The stations will cut journey times to places like Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Walsall. Journeys will be up to 3 times quicker.
The new stations will also open up rail travel to the local community. This will have a wide range of benefits, including:
- making it easier to travel for work, education or leisure
- reduced congestion on the roads
- encouraging greener alternatives to the car
- improved station access for everyone
The service frequency on the line when it's open will be:
- 1 train an hour in each direction between Walsall and Wolverhampton
- 1 train an hour in each direction between Wolverhampton and Birmingham
The project will create more than 120 jobs during construction. It will also restore more than a hectare of brownfield land. Brownfield land is land that was used for industrial or commercial purposes in the past.
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The challenge - why we're doing this
The 2 stations at Willenhall and Darlaston were closed in 1965. After this, the line was only used for freight. Now, the population in the area has grown. The area is also being regenerated. Without a rail service, the roads are congested and journey times are long.
The solution - what the project will do
There will be 2 new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston. They’ll each have 2 platforms suitable for 4-car trains. The stations will also have:
- pedestrian footbridges, stairs and lifts
- ticket machines and information systems
- passenger help points on each platform
- secure bike parking
- car parks
- a pick-up and drop-off area
Shorter journey times
The new stations will make people’s journeys faster.
The estimated journey times to Birmingham New Street are:
- 25 minutes from Willenhall, saving 46 minutes
- 22 minutes from Darlaston, saving 53 minutes
The estimated journey times to Wolverhampton are:
- 8 minutes from Willenhall, saving 10 minutes
- 11 minutes from Darlaston, saving 17 minutes
The estimated journey times to Walsall are:
- 8 minutes from Willenhall, saving 10 minutes
- 5 minutes from Darlaston, saving 9 minutes
As well as cutting journey times, the project will also make sure the region benefits from HS2. It will make it easier for people to get to the new HS2 station at Curzon Street.
Our partners
We’re working on this project with:
- Transport for West Midlands
- West Midlands Trains (operators of West Midlands Railway)
- Network Rail
- Department for Transport
- Walsall Council
- Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd
- SLC-AECOM Joint Venture
Latest news
Demolition paves the way for new Willenhall railway station
From abandoned industrial land to 2 new train stations
Work starts on Black Country railway station
Work set to start on Black Country railway stations after funding confirmed
Artist impressions
Willenhall station (view larger image)
Willenhall station (view larger image)
Darlaston station (view larger image)
Darlaston station (view larger image)