The station entrance

Birmingham Snow Hill station is a railway station located in the centre of Birmingham, England. Though only a shadow of its former self, it is still the second most important railway station in Birmingham after New Street station. It is also the Birmingham terminus of the West Midlands light rail system, the Midland Metro. Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street Station in 1865. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Official language None; English is de facto Capital London Capitals coordinates 51° 30 N, 0° 10 W Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831... The tracks approaching the station Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... The Midland Metro is a light-rail tram system in the West Midlands of England. ...

Trains from London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kidderminster, and trams from Wolverhampton (via Wednesbury and West Bromwich), terminate at Snow Hill station. London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... Kidderminster is a town in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. ... For specific light rail systems, many of which use the words light rail as part of their name, see list of light rail transit systems. ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... Wednesbury is a town in Englands Black Country. ... West Bromwich is a town in the county of West Midlands, and is the largest town within the metropolitan borough of Sandwell. ...

The train services into the station are currently (2004) run by Chiltern Railways (the London service) and Central Trains (local services). 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Chiltern Railways Clubman at Kidderminster station Chiltern Railways is a train operating company in England. ... Categories: Stub | British railway companies ...

History

The original station was opened in 1852 on the Great Western Railway (GWR) line from London (Paddington) to Wolverhampton Low Level Station. Snow Hill was re-built in 1871 to accommodate longer trains. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... For the Canadian railway company of the same name see Great Western Railway (Canada) Bristol Temple Meads railway station, the terminus at Bristol. ... Paddington station or London Paddington is the name of a major railway station in the Paddington area of London, which is the London terminus for long distance trains to the West of England and South Wales and some West London commuter services. ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Trains arriving from the south first pass through Snow Hill Tunnel, built by the cut-and-cover method, with Great Western (shopping) Arcade running above the northern end.

The station had an uneventful existence for many years until the 1960s. Then, as part of the Beeching axe closure programme, it was decided that Snow Hill station was an unnecessary duplication, and that Birmingham only needed one major station. Snow Hill was recommended for closure, and all services were switched to the former LMS New Street Station. Local services, north from Snow Hill, were the last to run. Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Many railway lines were closed The Beeching Axe was an informal name for the British governments attempt in the 1960s to control the spiralling cost of running the British railway system by closing what it considered to be little-used and unprofitable railway lines. ... The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS1) was a British railway company. ...

The station was gradually run down, until it was closed completely, and largely demolished in 1974. The line to Wolverhampton was also closed. The station site was for many years used as a car park. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Rebirth

In the mid 1980s British Rail decided to re-open Snow Hill station to relieve the severe congestion at New Street Station. Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology Bulletin board system popularity Popularization of personal computers, Walkmans, VHS videocassette recorders, and compact disc (CD) players Introduction of the IBM PC Home video games become enormously popular, most notably Atari until the market crashes in 1983; the rise... British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system, from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... The tracks approaching the station Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. ...

In 1987 the newly rebuilt Snow Hill station opened for services to the south only, with some of the remaining parts of the original station lost (e.g. the old parcels office) and others incorporated (notably the now-sealed entrance, with GWR crest, in Livery Street). Services to London Marylebone were soon restarted, along with many local services. A new station, Moor Street, was built at the southern end of Snow Hill tunnel to replace the terminus adjacent to the tunnel mouth, which then closed. The main entrance to Marylebone station. ... Birmingham Moor Street railway station is situated in Birmingham city centre, and has been extensively rebuilt and refurbished as part of the redevelopment of the Bull Ring. ...

A Midland Metro tram at Snow Hill

The new Snow Hill station, with a multistorey car park above, has been widely criticised as draughty, unwelcoming and architecturally unimaginative.

In 1995, services north to Smethwick, and onwards to Worcester, were resumed. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Smethwick is a town adjacent to Birmingham and West Bromwich in England. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced Wuh-ster) is the county town of Worcestershire in England; the river Severn runs through the middle, with the citys large Worcester Cathedral overlooking the river. ...

In 1999 the line to Wolverhampton was re-opened as a light-rail (tram) line, the Midland Metro. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... For specific light rail systems, many of which use the words light rail as part of their name, see list of light rail transit systems. ... The Midland Metro is a light-rail tram system in the West Midlands of England. ...

In 2003, the original gates and booking hall sign from Snow Hill were incorporated into the old Moor Street station, and its ticket office brought back into use for trains using the 1987 platforms, but the old platforms remained mothballed, awaiting reopening (scheduled for 2009). Watering facilites for the regular Sunday steam services to Stratford-upon-Avon and new retail units, both in GWR architectural style, were also included, in conjunction with the development of the adjacent Birmingham Bull Ring. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... 2003 Bull Ring _ St Martins church and Selfridges The Bull Ring market has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages. ...

See also

• Transport in Birmingham

Due in part to its location in central England, Birmingham is a major transport hub. ...

External links

• Train times (http://www.livedepartureboards.co.uk/ldb/summary.aspx?T=BSW) for Birmingham Snow Hill station from National Rail
• Street map (http://www.multimap.com/map/places.cgi?client=public&lang=&advanced=&quicksearch=B32BJ) and aerial photo (http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&lang=&pc=B32BJ) of Birmingham Snow Hill station from Multimap.com

External links

Grid reference: SP074868 (http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?mapAction=gaz&gazName=g&gazString=SP074868) This article is about the map grid references in the UK. For the Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ...