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The five abandoned UK railway stations set to reopen with new train routes

FIVE train stations in the UK left deserted for decades have undergone major renovation projects and will soon have new routes to a major city.

The five stations include three on the Camp Hill Line and two between Wolverhampton and Walsall.

Illustration of a train map of South Birmingham, showing the Camp Hill line and existing railway lines with station names.
Five stations are reopening with routes to Birmingham and WolverhamptonCredit: West Midlands Combined Authority

All five of the stations will welcome new West Midlands Railway services in early 2026.

On the Camp Hill Line, £120million has been spent on three stations at Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road to reopen them.

Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road train stations all closed in 1941 during the Second World War and never reopened.

Ahead of services starting early next year, construction work at each of the stations has been completed.

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Each station will have two platforms for six-carriage trains, bike parking, ticket machines, information screens and lifts.

There will also be pick up and drop off zones at Moseley Village and Pineapple Road stations.

This also means that the stations will gain services for the first time since World War II.

The services will call at each of the stations every 30 minutes, with destinations including Birmingham New Street and Kings Norton.

It is estimated that the reopened stations will cut journey times to Birmingham New Street by between nine and 31 minutes.

As for the two stations between Wolverhampton and Walsall – Darlaston and Willenhall – there will be train services for the first time since 1965 when the stations were both closed.

To begin with, there will be two services an hour between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

A direct service to Walsall town centre, known as the ‘leather capital of the world’ due to its leatherworking history, is also being discussed with the Department for Transport and Walsall Council.

In total, the two stations have cost £85million to reopen.

Walsall Council hopes that the stations will better connect local residents to the wider region, as well as create more opportunities for people to travel, whether that be for holidays or for work.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “For some communities, this is the first time in more than 80 years they’ve had their own train service.

“That changes everyday life. Getting to work, college or seeing family becomes simpler and quicker.

“It also means more people coming into town centres. More footfall for shops and cafés. More confidence for local businesses to invest and grow.

“This is what delivery looks like – backing places that have waited far too long for decent connections.”

In other train news, here’s the first look at the new Virgin Trains that will take Brits from UK to France, Belgium and Netherlands.

Plus, the low-cost train launching more routes between two popular UK cities – and tickets are £33.

Train arriving at Willenhall Station.
The stations will launch services in early 2026Credit: West Midlands Combined Authority

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The low-cost train launching more routes between two popular UK cities

A BUDGET train operator is launching more cheap tickets between some major UK cities.

The Lumo train service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is being extended to Glasgow Queen Street.

Lumo is extending its route from London Euston to Edinburgh, to GlasgowCredit: Alamy

The train will still run via Edinburgh, as well as Falkirk High, on the East Coast Main Line.

Passengers will be able to use two northbound services each weekday and one southbound service.

There will then be one service in each direction at the weekend.

As a result of the announcement, it is thought more people will head to the Commonwealth Games too, which will take place in Glasgow in July next year.

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Tickets for the route with the low-cost operator will cost from £33.10 between London and Glasgow.

If travelling between Newcastle and Glasgow, tickets will be as little as £10.90.

Stuart Jones, managing director of First Rail Open Access, said: “This is a landmark moment which will boost connectivity between Scotland and England, offering a sustainable travel option whilst also boosting economic growth.

Paul Tetlaw, Director of Policy at Transform Scotland, said: “We welcome the new Lumo services from Glasgow and Falkirk via the East Coast Main Line.

“There is a significant market of people who currently drive or fly to the North East of England and London who now have the opportunity to switch to the train.

“The new services soon to be launched from Stirling will help to build on that modal shift to rail.”

Lumo is also launching a new route which will connect Stirling with London Euston, in May 2026.

It comes as FirstGroup, which owns Lumo, revealed in November that it has submitted applications to launch new direct routes between Cardiff and York, as well as Rochdale and London Euston.

The Cardiff to York route would also include stops in Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield.

This service would run six times a day throughout the week.

And the stops on the Rochdale to London Euston route would include Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay.

A single fare for the route will cost from £33.10Credit: Getty

This route would feature three return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four services each Saturday.

The company is aiming for the route to operate by December 2028.

Lumo trains are electric and on board feature no first-class seating option, fitting in with their budget offering.

Seats do have tray tables though and USB sockets, as well as free Wi-Fi.

For more train news, here is the way that passengers can travel on UK trains without buying tickets.

Plus, this is where you can find the most beautiful train journey – it takes 10 minutes and costs £3.

It follows the operator also announcing plans for a number of other new routesCredit: Alamy

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