Railways through Great Barr

Skirting the southerly edge of B43 is the Birmingham to Walsall railway line. The station at Hamstead (originally named Great Barr and on the other side of the Hamstead Road to the current station) is in Rocky Lane and Hamstead Road. The Grand Junction Railway was opened in 1837 with Great Barr suburban station being opened in 1862. The railway provided the capability of transporting coal from the Hamstead Mine. A station - Newton Road existed by the boundary of Great Barr, initially near the River Tame crossing and later a short distance nearer to Bescot.