An outdoor gallery of eye-catching artwork has been unveiled at Sutton Coldfield railway station, featuring woodland creatures and a map of local attractions.

On Tuesday, representatives from West Midlands Railway (WMR) and Network Rail visited the station to celebrate the completion of the project by the Spaghetti Line community station partnership.

The murals were commissioned by the local adopters following a £26,600 funding package from WMR to improve the station as part of the operator’s ‘Your Community, Your Fund’ scheme.

Funded by the Department for Transport, the scheme is aimed at inspiring people to get involved with the railway.

The creations were crafted by local artists, Wingy, Whimsical Trading Post, Brumhaus and illustrator Tom Woolley.

New planting has rejuvenated the green spaces, including 'Ruby’s Garden' - a welcoming area by the entrance to remember Ruby Rivitt, the station master’s daughter in law who used to admire the rose garden there in the early 1900s. 

Now adopted by the platform café, Folklore, this space will be continuously maintained for customers to enjoy.

The terrace has been restored, with vegetation cut back to open up the adjacent path, providing a more inviting walkway for passengers to reach the local buzzing coffee shop and offer alternative access to platform 2.

Friends of Wylde Green Station, Sutton Coldfield Litter Action Group and Goodgym held a successful litter pick event on Sunday 13 April, with refreshments provided from the nearby Station pub.

The station is cared for by a dedicated team of adopters, led by Dawn Whitfield and Nikki Wright.

Dawn Whitfield, joint lead Spaghetti Line station adopter said: “We hope the art and green spaces will brighten visitors' days when they visit Sutton Coldfield Railway Station and fill them with excitement for their ongoing journeys. 

“As a result of this project, we met Steve who has now become an adopter for Sutton Coldfield, and we hope to encourage more locals to sign up to help us care for the station.”

Cara Higgs, community strategy manager at WMR, said: “The transformation completed by the adopter group has been fantastic. 

“We are so happy to have been able to support with funding to make these improvements, so all our customers can enjoy the space, and passengers will feel inspired to visit the excellent station café and pub.

"With our brand new electric train fleet now in service and proving popular with our passengers, these enhancements at Sutton Coldfield are another big positive for rail users on the Cross City Line."

Denise Wetton, Central route director at Network Rail, said: “The railway is at the heart of this community so we’re really pleased to have been able to support this project, especially during the year of Railway 200 where we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway.
It’s lovely that the renovated community areas pay homage to the history of the station, while creating an inspiring environment for current and future passengers.”

To find out more about The Spaghetti Line adoption group, which is named after Birmingham's famous Spaghetti Junction road interchange, you can visit their Facebook and Instagram or email spaghetti.csp@gmail.com