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| WMR 323 219 departs North |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Type: | National Rail (Cross-City Line) |
| Station code: | ERD |
| Opened: | 1862 |
| Platforms: | 2 |
The station was opened by the London & North West Railway in 1862. The station was later owned by the LMS (LMS lettering can still be seen on the railway bridge next to the station entrance) and of course British Railways. Nowadays it is managed by West Midlands Railway.
The station has two platforms with a manned ticket office and waiting room on one of them, the other buildings being bus-shelter style buildings. Access to the station and between the platforms is via a ramp down to the street. Originally the station buildings were made of wood as the station is on an embankment and there was a need to minimise settlement of the embankment [1] but these were replaced when the line was electrified. Like many stations Erdington once had goods sidings, a goods shed and cattle pen though these have long gone [2], the yard closing in 1962.
The only serious rail accident at the station occured in 1875 when a stationary goods train was hit from behind by a passenger train though there were luckily no fatalities or serious injuries [3]. Another potentially serious incident was averted in 1966 when a passer-by noticed a barrackade had been built across the track and they alerted the nearest signalbox [4].
From Erdington there are services North to Lichfield Trent Valley and South to Redditch or Bromsgrove via Birmingham New Street.
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| A Cross-Country HST heads through |
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| Ramp up to platform level |
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| Station sign |
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| A RHTT service heads through cleaning the rails |
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| View up the platform, main station building on the right |
[1] Vic Mitchell, North of Birmingham (Middleton Press, 2014) Fig. 89
[2] Correspondence. Birmingham Daily Post (Birmingham, England), Friday, June 12, 1891; Issue 10287.
[3] Railway Accident at Erdington. Birmingham Daily Post (Birmingham, England), Friday, February 5, 1875; Issue 5169.
[4] Rail wreckers build a 'wall' across line. Daily Mirror, Thu 20 Oct 1966 Page 17.
