Walsall-Wolverhampton Line

Walsall–Wolverhampton line
Diagram of the line (in green) in relation to the other railways in the area.
Overview
Locale	Wolverhampton Walsall West Midlands (region)
Operation
Owner	Network Rail
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Walsall–Wolverhampton line is a railway line in the West Midlands, England. It connects the town of Walsall to the city of Wolverhampton. The complete line does not currently have any regular scheduled passenger services: The line's local passenger service was withdrawn in 1965, it was restored in 1998, only to be withdrawn again in 2008. At present, the main use of the line is by freight trains, and it is also used as a diversionary route when engineering works are carried out on the West Coast Main Line.

In 2017, the West Midlands Combined Authority announced that they would restore services to the line over the following decade, with new stations at Willenhall and James Bridge.

Most of the present route was opened in 1837 as part of the original Grand Junction Railway (GJR), one of the first railway trunk routes. Built as a long distance trunk route, the original GJR line did not directly serve either Walsall or Wolverhampton, instead running around the outskirts of both of them. A station on the original line called Wolverhampton was opened at the edge of the town centre, this was later renamed Wednesfield Heath in 1855 after the centrally located Wolverhampton (High level) station on the Stour Valley Line was opened, Wednesfield Heath was then closed in 1873. A station called Walsall (also known as Bescot Bridge) was also opened, located some distance from the town, this station was closed in 1850, shortly after the present Walsall station opened on the South Staffordshire Line, it was reopened as Wood Green, in 1881 and then closed in 1941.

The GJR amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1846. The present line was completed in 1881, when the LNWR constructed two spurs from the GJR at Wolverhampton and Walsall. The Wolverhampton spur diverged south from the original line and linked to Wolverhampton (High Level) station. The spur at the Walsall end diverged north from the GJR and linked to the South Staffordshire Line at Pleck Junction, where it gave access to Walsall station. A station was opened on the Walsall spur called Pleck, this later closed in 1958.