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The Severn Valley Railway was originally operated by the West Midland Railway, but was fully absorbed into the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1872. In 1878 the GWR added ‘The Loop’ linking Bewdley to Kidderminster. This is the section over which the present day Severn Valley Railway continues.
The line was used for both passenger and freight traffic. Much of the latter was generated by Alverley Alveley Colliery at Highley and the British Sugar Corporation factory at Foley Park, Kidderminster.
Ownership of the Severn Valley Line passed to British Railways (BR) upon nationalisation in 1948. The 1950s saw steam replaced on some services by GWR Diesel Railcars and BR Diesel Multiple Units (DMU).
Through traffic between Shreswbury and Bewdley ceased in 1963, the closure of this section being the catalyst for the beginnings of [[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation]] two years later. The line from Alverley Alveley Colliery southwards through Bewdley remained in use for moving coal to Stourport Power Station until the Colliery closed in 1969.
Passenger services from Bewdley to Hartlebury and Kidderminster ceased in 1970. After that time the only section of the line still in use was between Foley Park and Kidderminster, which British Sugar Corporation continued to use until 1982.
