Under the previous franchise, which ended on 10 December 2017, the service was branded as the London Midland Stourbridge Shuttle.

Although the branch line was originally double-tracked, after 1935 the two tracks were worked as two parallel single lines, with the non-passenger track used for freight workings beyond the station over a bridge across Foster Street (a bridge rebuilt in 1957 then subsequently demolished in 1967 after the goods branch closed) towards the Stourbridge Basin.

The experiment has been sufficiently successful to the extent that the Sunday service in June 2006 was included in both the Network Rail printed timetables and Internet site, and now runs on a permanent basis.

[6] Although the line has been threatened with closure several times in the past, People Mover had suggested that should their railcar prove a success, their service could be further extended into Stourbridge town centre as a light rail system[who?].

Press reports in August 2010 marked the milestone of half a million passengers having been passed, and indicated substantial growth rates and reliability levels comparable to the Docklands Light Railway; a new depot could consolidate this early success.

[9] The branch has become notorious for the steep downhill gradient leading from Junction station, and over the years there have been several incidents:[10]