Outdated Wolverhampton station among UK's busiest

Outdated and tired and yet it is a gateway to Wolverhampton.

Last week it was announced the city's railway station will be getting a much-needed facelift as part of £40 million plans to turn it into a major transport hub.

But what people may not know about Wolverhampton Railway Station is that despite its unassuming looks it has become one of the busiest intersections in the country with 4.2 million passengers walking its platforms annually.

Of that number 335,000 people a year don't even leave the station as they change trains before heading to their final destination.

"We get a lot of people from Scotland here," said station manager Dave Whitehouse. "They come here to get the connecting train to the coastal towns then get their ferry over to Europe.

"We are one of the major connecting stations that links Scotland, North Wales and the north west of England to the south east. The 5.24am train to London is always busy as is the 7.45am service to Coventry.

"I'd say the busiest is the 5.25pm train to Shrewsbury. That always has a lot of passengers."

An increase in away football fans attending Molineux to watch their side take on Wolves tested the station during last season and Mr Whitehouse admitted they were caught off-guard. Next season they will work alongside British Transport Police and put in a barrier operation on matchdays to control supporters using the station.

Last month the station had to deal with an estimated 15,000 people when RAF Cosford held its annual show.

Next month it is preparing for one its busiest weekends of the year as tens of thousands of people descend on the city before heading to Weston Park for V-Festival.

On average the station handles 17 trains an hour – one every three minutes. Mr Whitehouse said: "We are a station with only four platforms – we need to be bigger.

"If you look at the size of Birmingham New Street Station, compared to us, we don't do bad considering we handle about a third as many trains." In winter the station has a swell in the numbers as people head to Birmingham for the German Markets and groups gather for nights out for work Christmas parties.

For years, people have been awaiting the start of the Wolverhampton Interchange – a project to combine rail, tram and bus services as well as restaurants, office space and shops.