World Cup of Stations contest: Railway station in West Midlands' most expensive village reaches finals

Dorridge station has reached the final of the World Cup of Stations competition.  

It comes after the charming village, which falls under the borough of Solihull, has also been named the most expensive place to live in the West Midlands.

Hosted by the Rail Delivery Group, the World Cup of Stations celebrates stations with exceptional community activity. This year’s competition is also celebrating local businesses at stations.  

At Dorridge, The Friends of Dorridge have recently supported a refurbishment programme in the station ticket hall to restore key heritage features including parquet flooring and benches from the 1930s. The station café, Espresso Station is a community hub, used by commuters and locals. 

To reach the final, Dorridge was victorious against other West Midlands stations before beating the likes of York and Newcastle in the semi-final yesterday (17 October). 

Zach Bailey, Regional Growth Manager at Chiltern Railways, said:  “Dorridge is a wonderful station which our community partners (Friends of Dorridge and Heart of England Community Rail Partnership) have recently worked to refresh.  

“The station is also home to Espresso, a coffee shop which is popular in the area and is crucial for this year’s World Cup of Stations competition which has a focus on local businesses. 

“I urge people to get voting for Dorridge as the station would be a deserved winner this year.” 

Going for the crown in the final against Maghull and Kings Lynn, votes can be submitted for Dorridge here. 

The competition ends tonight (18 October), with the winner declared on Tuesday 22 October.