Today (19th March), two new stations, operated by West Midlands Trains and served by their Class 196s, opened their doors for the first time.
The first passengers were welcomed to Willenhall and Darlaston stations.
The new stations increase connectivity to Birmingham and Shrewsbury (via Tame Bridge Parkway and Wolverhampton).
Both stations have lifts, shelters, secure cycle racks, and ticket machines.
The community can also benefit from 300 spaces at Darlaston Station (aimed at park and ride commuters) and 33 spaces at Willenhall Station.
The new stations came from a Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) £185 million programme to build five new stations, with the next three due to open in a month.
“We are delighted to officially open these two brand-new stations for passengers in Willenhall and Darlaston, unlocking faster and greener travel options for local residents.
“These stations will make a huge difference to thousands of passengers in the Black Country, bringing direct transport links to major hubs in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Telford and Shrewsbury. From today, we are excited to welcome new passengers on board the service for the first time and we look forward to seeing even more customers on board in the coming months.”
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for WMR,
Responses
It’s nice to see Willenhall and Darlaston stations now opened. And Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road stations due to open next month. Are there plans to electrify the Camp Hill Line from Birmingham New Street to Kings Norton.
I visited the two stations today, Darlaston looks primarily to be a park and ride stop with a large car park and little in the area, Willenhall however is right on the edge of the busy town centre. Bothe stations attracted several travellers on the Saturday morning. The only down side is that, travelling from outside the West Midlands area, the Avanti West Coast ticket machines have not been told that these two new stations are there and you cannot book a ticket to them (yet).