Editing Smethwick (section)

====Railways====
The [[London and North Western Railway|LNWR]] was the first to construct a railway through Smethwick in [[Stour Valley Railway|1852]] from [[Birmingham New Street railway station|New Street]] towards [[Wolverhampton railway station|Wolverhampton]] and the North West, [[Smethwick Rolfe Street railway station|Rolfe Street]] and [[Spon Lane railway station|Spon Lane]] opened that year followed by [[Soho railway station|Soho]] in 1853. In 1867 the [[Stourbridge Railway]] opened a link between the [[Great Western Railway|Great Western]] [[Birmingham, Wolverhampton & Dudley Railway]] (of 1852) near the current [[The Hawthorns railway station|Hawthorns]] and [[Stourbridge Junction railway station|Stourbridge]] with a station at [[Smethwick West railway station|Smethwick West]] and a link to the Stour Valley line towards New Street called Smethwick Junction, the Stourbridge Railway was merged into the Great Western in 1870. Not until 1931 was a railway station  constructed at the Hawthorns, although it was a 'halt' primarily for the football ground; this station closed in 1967.

[[File:Swanage railway station - geograph.org.uk - 46448.jpg|thumb|right|[[British Rail Class 33]] at Swanage, built by the [[Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company]]]]
From 1854 the [[Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company]] was based in Smethwick until its closure in 1963. The company not only built trains, but also [[London Underground]] stock, buses and a military equipment.

Soho railway station closed in 1949, followed by Spon Lane station in 1968. In 1972 the section of line between Smethwick West and [[Birmingham Moor Street railway station|Birmingham Moor Street]], as well as the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley railway, was closed, with the exception of a single line between Smethwick West and Coopers Scrap Metal in Handsworth; and all Stourbridge services were diverted into Birmingham New Street. In 1995 the line between [[Birmingham Snow Hill railway station|Birmingham Snow Hill]] and Smethwick West was restored and a new station called [[Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station|Smethwick Galton Bridge]] was constructed over both the Snow Hill and Stour Valley lines to provide an interchange. Smethwick West was due to close when Galton Bridge opened, but due to a legal error [[British Rail]]ways had to maintain a [[parliamentary train]] service to the station. Most local trains from Stourbridge to Birmingham were diverted into Snow Hill although it was not until 2004 that the last regular service used the route into Birmingham New Street via Smethwick Junction.

[[Soho TMD]] is located next to Soho rail junction; road access is just off Wellington Street. It is the principal train depot for [[West Midlands Trains]]' [[British Rail Class 323|Class 323]] train fleet, which are often seen providing local train services in the area.