Brighton Road railway station

Brighton Road
Brighton Road station (date unknown) with its wooden platforms visible. Once the buildings were demolished there was nothing left of the station
General information
Location	Balsall Heath, Birmingham England
Coordinates	52°27′19″N1°53′01″W / 52.4554°N 1.8835°W / 52.4554; -1.8835
Grid reference	SP080841
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Midland Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1875	Opened [1]
27 January 1941	Closed [1]

Brighton Road railway station is a former railway station in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. It was originally opened in 1875 before being closed to passengers in 1941.

History

The station was built on the Midland Railway operated former Birmingham and Gloucester Railway main line (now the Camp Hill line) near the border of Balsall Heath and Moseley in 1875. John Bagwell was appointed station master in 1876 and he held this position until the station was placed under the supervision of the Camp Hill station master on 15 July 1907. ^[2]

The station finally closed to passengers on 27 January 1941 ^[3] due to Second World War economy measures, along with the other passenger stations on the Camp Hill line. ^[4]

Planned Reopening

Since the late 2000s, proposals have been made to re-open the station, along with others on the Camp Hill line, for passenger use. ^{[5] [6]}

In July 2017, it was proposed that the station could reopen as part of the plans to reopen the line through the site for passengers after the new metro mayor revised plans for the reopening of the line with a stop in Balsall Heath as well as those at Moseley, Kings Heath, and Hazelwell. ^[7]

In 2019, the project to reopen the Camp Hill line stations received £15 million in Government funding, with construction due to start in 2020 and aimed for completion in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. ^[8] This was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, and in March 2021 it was announced that additional funding had been found for the project. ^[9] Though Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road stations are due to reopen in December 2023, plans for a station in Balsall Heath did not materialise at this time.

In February 2023 it was announced that funding had been allocated to begin investigating opening a station in Balsall Heath, though any construction would rely on the building of the Bordesley Chords. ^[10] It is not currently known if the station would be located at the site of the former Brighton Road station, the site of the former Camp Hill station, or at a new site between the two. It is believed any station would be named Balsall Heath.

References

1. "Brighton Road Station". Warwickshire Railways. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
2. "1901-1909 Superintendent's Staff". Midland Railway Operating Traffic and Coaching Departments. 491/996: 440. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
3. "Five Birmingham Station to Close" . Coventry Evening Telegraph. England. 22 January 1941. Retrieved 28 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "Kings Heath Station". Rail Around Birmingham. 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
5. "Rail Development Strategy" (PDF). West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
6. "Rail passenger lines considered". BBC News. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
7. Elkes, Neil (6 July 2017). "This Birmingham train station is set for a revival". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
8. "Birmingham railway station project receives £15m funding". BBC. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
9. "Full steam ahead for Camp Hill line to reopen as final budget approved". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
10. Haynes, Jane (28 February 2023). "Hopes raised for two new rail stations in key locations". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 20 March 2023.

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Moseley		Midland Railway Camp Hill line		Camp Hill