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Redditch to Ashchurch Timeline |
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July 1858 The Redditch Railway's plans for a line from Barnt Green on the established Birmingham-Gloucester line to Redditch are approved by Parliament September 1859 The first trains run to Redditch. June 1861 The Midland Railway gains approval to build a branch from Ashchurch to Evesham July 1863 The Evesham and Redditch Railway is authorised. This would prove to be the most difficult part of the line to construct and build with long 1 in 120 gradients and a tunnel at Redditch required. It would be a single track line. October 1864 The Ashchurch to Evesham section opens. It has been built as a double track. June 1866 The section from Evesham to Alcester is completed and Alcester opens to passenger traffic. September 1866 Alcester opens for goods traffic. August 1867 The last part of the Redditch tunnel, south of Redditch station is cut. January 1868 Connecting facilities between the two lines at Evesham are provided, although full junction facilities would not be provided for nearly another century May 1868 The Alcester to Redditch section opens, completing the branch from Barnt Green to Ashchurch. July 1882 With the Evesham and Redditch Railway being absorbed into the Midland Railway, the latter now has full control of the line. It is now the most strategically important of the vale lines for getting the vale's produce to Birmingham and beyond. January 1917 As a wartime economy, single track working is introduced between Bengeworth and Beckford February 1921 Double track is restored to the section between Bengeworth and Beckford. June 1951 A new loop at Broom Junction means that the line now sees iron ore trains from Woodford Halse and Banbury using it to get to South Wales. This would continue to 1960, when a new loop at Stratford-Upon-Avon would see the trains diverted along the Stratford to Cheltenham line. March 1958 The branch comes under Western Region control. April 1960 DMUS are introduced, initially providing and hourly service to Redditch. By 1964, these have been reduced to two a day. October 1962 With the line between Evesham and Redditch declared unsafe, this section is closed. The expansion of Redditch into a "New Town" is enough to save the section from Redditch to Barnt Green. June 1963 Passenger traffic between Evesham and Ashchurch is withdrawn. September 1963 Apart from a small section to serve the MOD depot at Ashchurch, the line south of Evesham is closed. This leaves Evesham with just the former OW&W station serving it. March 1964 During the removal of track at Hinton, the engine in charge of the demolition of the track, No. 2232 is derailed on points. As the engine is at low speed, no one is hurt and the spectacle draws a small crowd of locals to observe. The train is re-railed by placing timbers in the point blades and reversing the engine up the timbers and back onto the rails 1967 The Midland railway bridge over the River Avon is removed. June 1967 The last remaining Midland sidings are closed. November 1971 Ashchurch station closes, having lost the branches to Redditch and to Tewkesbury at this point. May 1993 The station at Redditch re-opens after being rebuilt, this being the forth station in the town. July 1993 The Redditch to Barnt Green is electrified as part of improvements to the "Cross-City Line" from Redditch to Lichfield via Birmingham New Street. 1995 Ashchurch station is reopened, but like Honeybourne, is reduced in status from a junction station to an unmanned halt. |