Willenhall And Darlaston Stations – 8th April 2026
These two stations opened this week in Walsall between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton stations.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the location of the stations.
Note.
- Wolverhampton station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Darlaston station is marked with an arrow in the middle of the map.
- Willenhall station is between Wolverhampton and Darlaston stations
- Bescot Stadium station is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Tame Valley Parkway is the first station South-East of Bescot Stadium station on the way to Birmingham New Street station.
- Walsall FC play in the Bescot Stadium.
- Walsall station is in the North-East corner of the map.
Trains between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street stations, run the following service.
- Trains start in the West at Shrewsbury.
- There are four trains per hour (4 tph).
- 2 tph have one stopping pattern and the other 2 tph have another.
These pictures show Willenhall station.
Note.
The two stations seem to share a simple design.
Both stations have a step-free bridge with lifts.
Darlaston station has a good-sized car park.
Willenhall station’s car park appears to be still being landscaped.
Neither station appears to have solar roofs. On roofs like these at Denmark Hill Station, they have been fitted, which I wrote about in Denmark Hill Station – 4th September 2021.
Northern Offers Free Travel To Bedlington Terrier Owners When Town’s New Station Opens
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail magazine.
These two paragraphs add more details.
Passengers with a famous breed of dog named after Bedlington will be offered free travel when the town’s new station is open. It is the sixth and final new station on the Northumberland Line, which reopened to passengers in December 2024 – for the first time in 60 years.
Around 1.3 million journeys have been made on the route so far, with passengers travelling for work, education, important appointments and fun days out. When the station opens on Sunday, 29 March, it will allow customers to travel into Newcastle in around 30 minutes, with an off-peak single costing just £2.60.
I don’t own a dog anymore, let alone a bedlington terrier, but I had intended to go to the opening of the new Bedlington station tomorrow, but there don’t seem to be any trains between London and Newcastle due to engineering works.
So, it looks like I’ll have to miss out!
Will Northumberland Line Success Help More Open?
The title of this post, is the same as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
On 29 March the final station, Bedlington, opens on the Northumberland Line marking the completion of the project to reopen the route from Newcastle to Ashington.
These three paragraphs add detail to the story.
With passenger numbers exceeding predictions, could its success give new impetus to other projects to reopen former railways across northern England?
Dennis Fancett, chair of the rail users group Senrug, which campaigned for the Northumberland line for 20 years, hopes so.
He believes the obvious next step is to extend it along the existing freight tracks to a new station at Woodhorn and from there to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
I believe that the Northumberland Line is following a pattern, that I call London Overground Syndrome.
Black Country Towns’ Trains Return After 60 Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Two Black Country towns have welcomed trains for the first time in 60 years following the opening of new stations.
These two paragraphs give details of the route.
The Willenhall and Darlaston stations are part of a £185m project to reinstate rail links across the West Midlands not used in decades.
The two stations have been added to the Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street service via Wolverhampton.
Note.
- The services are run by four-car Class 196 dieselmultiple units.
- The frequency is two trains per hour.
- One hourly service calls at Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Shifnal, Telford Central and Wellington.
- The other hourly service calls at Tame Bridge Parkway, Darlaston, Willenhall, Wolverhampton, Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford, Shifnal, Telford Central, Oakengates and Wellington.
This map shows shows the route of the Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury service via Wolverhampton.
Note.
- Willenhall station is in the North-Western corner of the map.
- Darlaston station is marked with a blue arrow on the yellow track to the East of Willenhall.
- Birmingham New Street station is in the South-East corner of the map.
I have one further thought.
Electrification
Only the almost thirty miles between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is without electrification, but electrification is all the way between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street station is already wired.
I could see the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury route being electrified using battery-electric trains.
Obviously, if the route is eventually electrified will depend on the traction needed for other services.
Five New Railway Stations To Open Over Next Month
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Opening dates have been announced for five new railway stations in the West Midlands following a £185m project to reinstate links not used in decades.
These two paragraphs add more details.
On the Black Country line, new stations for Willenhall and Darlaston open on 19 March. The sites were last visited by trains in 1965.
On 7 April, Camp Hill Line stations Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road open, allowing locals access to neighbourhood services for the first time since World War Two.
I shall go up, some time on or after the 7th and see all five stations.
Opening Date For Final Delayed Station Confirmed
The title of this post is the same as that in this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The opening date for the final station on a reopened railway line has finally been announced.
These four paragraphs give more details.
The Northumberland Line between Ashington and Newcastle began carrying passengers in December 2024, decades after the old service ended, but Bedlington and Northumberland Park stations remained unfinished.
It was announced in January Northumberland Park would open on 22 February, and now Northumberland County Council has announced Bedlington will officially open to passengers on 29 March.
Conservative leader Glen Sanderson thanked the local community for bearing with the “inevitable disruption”.
The overdue opening of Bedlington was blamed on ageing stonework and a water pipe under the car park, and in August an extra £37.9m was provided to ensure the project was completed.
Will It Be The Day Of The Dogs?
I wonder how many Bedlington terriers will turn up!
I asked Google AI,”Will Bedlington Terriers be going to the opening of Bedlington station?” and received this reply.
Based on current information, it is not confirmed whether the dog breed Bedlington Terriers will be attending the opening of the new Bedlington station, which is expected to open in early 2026 as part of the Northumberland Line. While the town is famous for the breed, no official event details have confirmed their presence at the opening.
If they did, the story would spread everywhere.
Will The Builders Move On To The Leamside Line?
The Leamside Line could be the next one to be rebuilt, as it’s just on the other side of the Tyne.
Or they could extend the Northumberland Line to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
But who knows with this Government?
Formal Bid To Extend Railway Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A formal bid to extend a railway line which has seen more than 900,000 passenger journeys in the year since it reopened has been submitted.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
Northumberland County Council asked the North East Combined Authority to extend the Northumberland Line, which connects south-east Northumberland to Tyneside, to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
Conservative leader of the council Glen Sanderson said the total cost of the scheme was yet to be worked out, adding: “It is going to be very expensive, but I’m sure it will be worthwhile.”
Labour North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said she would like to see the line extended further into the county. She said: “We’ll support a business case to see what is possible.”
I wrote more about this extension in Onward To Newbiggin-by-the-Sea For The Northumberland Line?
I certainly believe it is an extension, that should be properly costed.
New Station Openings In Early 2026
This post is for two reasons.
I needed an answer to my query.
I wanted to explore the competence of Google AI.
When I typed the title of this post into Google AI, I received this answer.
Several new railway stations in the UK are scheduled to open or begin passenger services in early 2026, primarily in the West Midlands, Northumberland, Devon, and Cambridgeshire.
- Darlaston (between Walsall and Wolverhampton)
- Willenhall (between Walsall and Wolverhampton)
- Kings Heath (Camp Hill line, Birmingham)
- Moseley Village (Camp Hill line, Birmingham)
- Pineapple Road (Camp Hill line, Birmingham)
- Bedlington
- Northumberland Park (interchange with Tyne and Wear Metro)
- Cambridge South (Cambridgeshire) – Expected to open in June 2026, connecting the biomedical campus to London, Birmingham, Stansted, and Gatwick airports.
- Okehampton Interchange (Devon) – This new park and ride station, part of the Devon Metro plan, is planned to open in spring 2026.
- Magna (Rotherham) – A new tram-train and park & ride stop is due to open in early 2026.
- Darlington Station redevelopment (County Durham) – Major redevelopment works are “on target” for completion in spring 2026.
It looks to me, that Google AI made a good fist of my question.
Beaulieu Park Station – 30th October 2025
I went to Beaulieu Park station this morning and took these pictures.
Note.
The Anonymous Widower 