Income from the line was much less than hoped for and a new section, promoted as the Evesham Redditch and Stratford-upon-Avon Junction Railway, was incorporated in 1873 and opened in 1879.

By then however the East and West Junction had ceased carrying passengers, and did not restart until 1885 which is when the station was built.

[2] However though the East and West had been using the ER&SJ, it had not been making any payments and the latter became virtually bankrupt in 1886.

This line to the west of Stratford was treated as being separate by the LMS and passenger traffic was minimal, being limited to, in 1905 for instance, four trains daily in each direction.

This continued until 1938, when World War II meant that the service was reduced to one day train daily in each direction.