Barlaston
General information
Location	Barlaston, Stafford England
Grid reference	SJ888383
Managed by	West Midlands Railway[1]
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	BRT
Classification	DfT category F2
Key dates
17 April 1848	Opened
23 May 2004	Services withdrawn

Barlaston railway station served the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, England. This station was opened on 17 April 1848 and is on the first line opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on that date. At some times it was called Barlaston and Tittensor after the slightly more distant village of Tittensor.

History

Trains no longer stop at Barlaston. The Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent local service was withdrawn when the route was temporarily closed for major refurbishment on 23 May 2004 as part of the West Coast Main Line modernisation scheme and never reinstated. Passengers are now served by bus service No 100 operated by D&G Bus,^[2] which acts as the station's official rail replacement bus service, on which valid rail tickets (including advance purchase tickets) to/from Wedgwood and Barlaston are officially accepted. Access to the platforms is no longer possible as the station has been fenced off.

Barlaston is not included as a stop on the Crewe – London Euston service operated by West Midlands Trains. The new franchise, West Midlands Trains may see the station reopened to passenger services.^[3][4]

Barlaston is mentioned in the ghost or parliamentary train list maintained by Ghost Train Hunters enthusiasts group. The North Staffs Rail Promotion Group campaign for the restoration of the train service continues.

The Department for Transport stated that the rail replacement service would continue whilst it sought a "sustainable solution" to the demand for the restoration of train services when it awarded the West Midlands Rail franchise in 2018. As from April 2021 it funds this rail replacement service in accordance with Passenger Service Level Commitment No 2 of 2008. The bustitution is currently in its nineteenth year, allegedly the longest running scheduled rail replacement in history.^{[citation needed]}

Plans to officially close Wedgwood to passengers, and reopen Barlaston, were planned for May 2021.^{[citation needed]} However no Notice of Closure for Wedgwood has been published and there is no service at Barlaston. No notice of closure had been issued for Barlaston.