Worcester Foregate Street railway station

A 1910 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing railways in Worcester

The station opened on 17 May 1860. It was originally part of the Hereford and Worcester Railway which was incorporated into the West Midland Railway, before being absorbed by the Great Western Railway. On 1 January 1948 the company became Government owned under British Railways. The Butts Spur line was also constructed in 1860 with the unfulfilled aim of connecting the station to Diglis for the conveyance of freight.

"Two way working on both lines" - sign at the western end of Foregate Street station

Since 1973 the station has had an unusual layout, being essentially two single-track lines side by side rather than the ordinary double-track layout which it appears to be. The two single lines run from Henwick, on the other side of the River Severn, through Foregate Street, to the site of the former Rainbow Hill Junction to the east of the station, which used to provide a crossover between the two tracks. At this point the lines diverge with that on the north side heading towards Tunnel Junction and Droitwich Spa, while the southern track leads to Worcester Shrub Hill. Rainbow Hill Junction was removed when the signalling in the area was remodelled in 1973. Since then, platform 1 (on the south side) has only been usable by trains running via Shrub Hill, and platform 2 only by trains running directly to or from Droitwich without calling at Shrub Hill. Signs at the station (see right) warn of "Two-way working on both lines".[2][3]

The station celebrated its 150th birthday on 23 May 2010 with the unveiling of a plaque and a special train[4] that ran to Great Malvern railway station (which celebrated its 150th Anniversary on the same date).[5]

The art gallery Movement opened on platform 2 on 2 October 2010.[6]

The station was upgraded in 2014, which included a refurbished subway, two new entrances with automatic doors, relocation of the lift at the second entrance to be enclosed in the station building and conversion of one of the railway arches into a bike shelter. The bridge was also strengthened and repainted.

Interior of refurbished station (2014)

Map of railways around Worcester, showing location of station

The station is served by two train operating companies: West Midlands Trains (who manage the station) and Great Western Railway. West Midlands Trains operate services to Birmingham via two different routes, either to Birmingham New Street via Bromsgrove or to Birmingham Snow Hill via Kidderminster.[7] There is an hourly service between Hereford and New Street and two trains per hour (three at peak times) to Snow Hill, with many of the latter running beyond to either Whitlocks End or Dorridge; some also originate/terminate at Great Malvern on this route.

Great Western Railway operate a regular service to London Paddington via the Cotswold Line and Oxford,[8] a service to Bristol Temple Meads via Gloucester with extensions through to Westbury and Weymouth and a daily service to Southampton Central and Brighton.[9] Many of the trains on both these routes run to/from Great Malvern, though the ones that start and finish at Shrub Hill have convenient connections from here.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Malvern Link		West Midlands Railway Birmingham-Hereford/Great Malvern		Droitwich Spa
				Worcester Shrub Hill
Terminus		West Midlands Railway Worcester-Birmingham via Kidderminster		Droitwich Spa
Malvern Link		Great Western Railway Cotswold Line		Worcester Shrub Hill
Malvern Link		Great Western Railway Worcester to Bristol		Worcester Shrub Hill
	Disused railways
Henwick Line open, station closed		Great Western Railway Worcester and Hereford Railway		Worcester Shrub Hill Line and station open

Railway lines in Worcestershire
Kidderminster line to Birmingham Snow Hill Cross-City Line to Birmingham New Street Hagley Birmingham–Stratford line to Birmingham Moor Street Wythall Blakedown Birmingham–Stratford line to Stratford-upon-Avon Barnt Green Kidderminster Town Kidderminster Blackwell Alvechurch Foley Park Halt Lickey Incline Bewdley Tunnel Redditch Rifle Range Halt Stourport-on-Severn Gloucester loop line via Alcester Hartlebury Bromsgrove Bewdley Cutnall Green Halt Stoke Works Northwood Halt Droitwich Spa Junction Wyre Forest Droitwich Spa Arley Newnham Bridge Fernhill Heath Severn Valley Railway to Bridgnorth Blackpole Halt Easton Court Astwood Halt Tenbury and Bewdley Railway to Woofferton Droitwich Road Worcester Tunnel Junction Dunhampstead Worcester TMD Oddingley Spetchley Vinegar works Worcester Shrub Hill Worcester Foregate Street Norton Worcestershire Parkway Stoulton Former freight branch Gloucester loop line via Alcester River Severn Abbot's Wood Junction Pershore Henwick Wadborough Boughton Halt Wyre Halt Rushwick Halt Defford Leigh Court Fladbury Knightwick Harvington Bransford Road Eckington Suckley Bredon Newland Halt Bengeworth Worcester, Bromyard & Leominster Rly to Leominster Evesham Malvern Link Hinton Great Malvern Ashton-under-Hill Malvern Hanley Road Beckford Malvern Wells Upton-on-Severn Ripple Littleton and Badsey Honeybourne Line to Stratford-upon-Avon Cotswold Line to Hereford Honeybourne Ashchurch for Tewkesbury Cross Country Route to Cheltenham Spa Cotswold Line to Oxford Broadway Gloucestershire Warwickshire Rly to Cheltenham Racecourse

• Worcester Shrub Hill railway station
• Worcester (Norton) Parkway railway station

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2004). Worcester to Hereford. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 1-8. ISBN 9781904474388. OCLC 862604858.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Worcester Foregate Street railway station.

• Train times and station information for Worcester Foregate Street railway station from National Rail