Birmingham Moor Street

[dickdarlington]

Did Moor Street used to have platforms on the eastern approach into New Street? I never realised that the New Street Line went straight under Moor Street station.

 

[the sniper]

Did Moor Street used to have platforms on the eastern approach into New Street?

Nope. Moor Street was Great Western, New Street was opened and ran by the London and North Western Railway and Midland Railway. Thus no connection between the two.

Also, there isn't really any need/space for a station in the gap between the two tunnels at the east end of New Street station. It's under 10 minutes walk away from New Street anyway.

 

[sprinterguy]

Did Moor Street used to have platforms on the eastern approach into New Street? I never realised that the New Street Line went straight under Moor Street station.

Nope, I strongly believe that there never were any Moor Street platforms on the New Street approach. The original London and Birmingham Railway terminus was at nearby Curzon Street, the next move from that terminus was into New Street by the LNWR. The LMS and GWR London-Birmingham routes have always been kept largely separate from one another.

EDIT: Beaten to it!

 

[mumrar]

Did Moor Street used to have platforms on the eastern approach into New Street? I never realised that the New Street Line went straight under Moor Street station.

Although Moor St didn't have a station until 1909, you must look back at the railways history in the area. Snow Hill station opened in 1852 with it's route to London, New Street opened in 1854. The lines in to New Street from Proof House Junction are characterised by 'the dip', an engineering necessity to pass under the GWR lines already in place. Although I have no source for this info, it is my belief that the quirk of the relationship between the railways at Moor Street and New Street is that the platforms at New Street are actually higher than the platforms at Moor Street, despite New Street being subterrainean, and the outgoing lines passing beneath Moor Street station.

Moor Street station was a unique approach to a common problem. When Snow Hill became so busy, expansion would have been desired with more platforms. But rather than engineer the extra infrastructure there, a new set of in effect bay platforms were opened not for away and wer Moor Street station. All this last bit is guesswork I admit.

 

[Max]

Moved to infrastructure.

 

[dickdarlington]

Couldn't see why there would be platforms so close to New Street.

I noticed on bing that there was a staircase down from Moor Street to the New Street approach, and thought that this might have been from a historic junction.