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The SVR's [[Kidderminster|Kidderminster Town Station]] which opened in 1970 was built on the former goods yard of '''Kidderminster mainline station'''. The mainline station opened as part of the [[Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway]] in 1852 and become a direct destination for services from the Severn Valley Branch and [[Wyre Forest Line]] in 1878. Today it is managed by [[Mainline Operators Servicing Kidderminster#West_Midlands_Railway|West Midlands Railway ]] and forms part of the Birmingham to [[Worcester ]] line. It has two platforms, with the main station building located on Platform 1, the Down (northbound) platform. The SVR and mainline stations are less than 100 yards apart and share the same station approach road.
== Kidderminster mainline station history ==
The Kidderminster mainline station was built as part of the [[Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway | Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton]] line between Stourbridge and Evesham which opened with a special train on 1 May 1852, with normal services beginning 2 days later.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References | Boynton (2002)]]</ref> At opening, both platforms ended at the Comberton Road bridge. The station building was a simple wooden structure which soon proved inadequate and was replaced in 1859 by a second building, also of wooden construction. This was described in a contemporary newspaper article as "''…but one story in height, and comprised a booking office, two waiting rooms, a telegraph office, and closets, the entrance for passengers being by a door between the booking office and the waiting room. At the southern end was the telegraph office, a small compartment partitioned off from the booking office, and at the northern end, but detached at a distance of about three yards, was another wooden building, of recent erection, occupied by Mr. Done, of Kidderminster, as first and second-class refreshment rooms.''"<ref name="KDAHS">[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2eAFhE-m0yheVp4QUw1cGN3aVk/edit Kidderminster & District Archaeological & Historical Society Building Record of Kidderminster Railway Station.]</ref>
On 1 July 1860 the OWW became part of the [[West Midland Railway|West Midland Railway (WMR) ]] (a short-lived company not to be confused with the present operators of the station). The opening of the Severn Valley Railway on 1 February 1862 had no direct impact on Kidderminster, which could only be reached via a change at [[Hartlebury]].
On the night of 14-15 February 1863 the second station building was destroyed by fire. Within days the OWW began construction of a third station building, which was substantially complete by May. A contemporary newspaper report noted that this "''…will consist of a central building in the Elizabethan style, two stories high. This will comprise the booking offices and station-master's residence. To the left of this will be the waiting-rooms, and to the right the refreshment-rooms, offices, porter's-rooms, etc. The foundation is of stone, upon which a wooden framework is built filled up with bricks. The wooden portion is to be stained and varnished, and the brickwork covered with cement.''"
On 1 August 1863, the WMR was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR) which assumed responsibility for its operations.
The GWR opened the [[Kidderminster Loop Line|loop line to Bewdley]] on 1 June 1878, giving direct access to Kidderminster from [[Bewdley ]] and stations further up the Severn Valley Branch and Wyre Forest Line. In anticipation of the additional traffic this would bring, new buildings were added to the Up (southbound) platform during 1877-78, including a general waiting room, a ladies waiting room, luggage and porters rooms. A footbridge was also installed to connect the two platforms.<ref name="KDAHS"/>
By 1900 there had been an upsurge in excursion traffic to places like Blackpool and the Welsh coast resorts. In that year, in order to cater for longer trains, the northbound platform was extended beyond the Comberton Road bridge to create the "Excursion Platform" as it became known, with an additional access ramp from Comberton Road.<ref name="KDAHS"></ref> The extension required the re-siting of the [[Kidderminster Station signal box (c.1882-1973)| Kidderminster Station signal box]] which was demolished and rebuilt a few feet nearer the running line to improve visibility for the signalman.
In 1968 the 1860s station building was demolished due to dry rot, while the footbridge was also demolished. The simple BR brick building which was built to replace it opened on 3 July 1974.<ref name="KDAHS"></ref>
In 1982 freight traffic from [[Foley Park ]] ended, and the Directors of the SVR were 'keeping a close watch' on the situation. Kidderminster Goods Depot was formally closed by BR on 16 May 1983, and negotiations began in earnest with BR on leasing an area of land in the freight yard to establish the SVR's proposed new station. By February 1984 the exchange of contracts with BR had taken place to purchase the line from Foley Park to Kidderminster and lease an area of the Goods Yard for construction of Kidderminster Town Station, which opened in July of that year.
A new footbridge in the mainline station was opened in 2009. In 2018 work began on a major upgrade which included reconfiguration of the existing road and forecourt area as well as demolition and replacement of the 1974 station building.<ref>SVR NBI 5 September 2018</ref> The new station building was opened on 7 June 2020<ref>[https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/kidderminster-station-building-opens/56721.article Railway Gazette]</ref>.
*[[Kidderminster|Kidderminster Town Station]]
*[[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership]]
*[[Mainline Operators Servicing Kidderminster]]
==References==
