South Wigston railway station is a railway station serving South Wigston in Leicestershire. The station is on the Birmingham to Peterborough Line about south of , on the west - north loop of Wigston Junction. South Wigston station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway (EMR) train operating company (TOC). Not all trains operating between Birmingham and Leicester stop here. Although the station is only served by CrossCountry, it is managed by East Midlands Railway as CrossCountry does not manage any stations.
The station is not staffed, so passengers buy the full range of tickets for travel from the guard on the train at no extra cost. Facilities on the platforms are limited, consisting only of one "bus shelter" type canopy on each of the two platforms to protect passengers from the weather, as well as a time-table, audible public address system and notice board.
History
Wigston had three railway stations: on the Midland Counties Railway opened in 1840 (dismantled), on the Midland Main Line opened in 1857 and on the South Leicestershire Railway opened in the 1860s. However, British Railways closed all three stations by 1968.
The present South Wigston station was opened on Saturday 10 May 1986 and is at a new site about 300 metres east of the site of the former Glen Parva station. The new station cost £135,000 to build and was funded by Leicestershire County Council.
There has been talk of a car park for commuters on the adjacent wasteland within the Wigston railway triangle, but this has never been progressed and the land remains a haven for wildlife. There is a public car park on nearby Kirkdale Road, a 260-yard walk away, which from 2021 has been subject to car parking charges from Oadby and Wigston Borough Council.
The station was managed by Central Trains until 2007, who operated all trains calling at the station; when the franchise ended, the station management transferred to East Midlands Trains, who managed the station until 2019, when their franchise ended, and the station was transferred to East Midlands Railway. All services calling are operated by CrossCountry.
South Wigston station's two platforms are staggered, one each side of a wide footbridge over the railway.
Services
There are regular services to and : usually one train in each direction every hour (Monday to Sunday). There is one additional service as far as in the morning peak as well as one late evening train a day to , both on weekdays only.