Olton railway station

Olton railway station serves the Olton area of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. The station is operated by London Midland, and is also served by Chiltern Railways services. The entrance seen in the centre where the station's booking office is located leads into a tunnel which runs under the tracks providing an access staircase and lift to the island platform. The station also has a car park and bicycle racks.HistoryOriginsOlton station was opened in 1869 on the GWR's Oxford & Birmingham Branch and its prime role was as a suburban passenger station for Birmingham commuters, explaining why the booking office was located on the down platform.Olton originally had two signal boxes, the first of which only had 10 levers. It was built by McKenzie and Holland and located at the end of the up platform which was replaced in June 1913 but was ultimately closed in 1933.ExpansionOlton station originally had a two-platform configuration with basic facilities, but taking advantage of the Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act of 1929, the Great Western Railway continued to quadruple the Birmingham Main Line as far as Lapworth, rebuilding five stations including Olton with two wide island platforms in 1932.