the Walsall to Rugeley line, forming a through route. Grouping and nationalisation, and afterwards In 1923 the London and North Western Railway was incorporated within the new London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), as part of a process known as the "Grouping" of the railways, following the Railways Act 1921. By this time the distinct character of the former South Staffordshire Railway was waning. In 1948 the railways were once again reorganised, following the Transport Act, 1947, which resulted in the LMS being taken into national ownership as part of British Railways. Following the end of World War II there was a steep decline in the use of local passenger trains, and of wagonload goods services, and British Railways accumulated huge losses. While some small-scale closures had taken place in the 1950s, by the following decade it was plain that the situation needed to be managed. Passenger service withdrawals There was a nationwide wave of withdrawal of unremunerative passenger services during the 1960s. The former Western Region (ex-GWR) services from Birmingham Snow Hill to Dudley were withdrawn on 15 June 1964, and the Walsall to Dudley line closed to passengers on 6 July 1964; Dudley station was therefore closed. The following year a large-scale passenger closure took place on 18 January 1965: from Walsall to Wichnor Junction via Lichfield; from Walsall to Water Orton via Sutton Park; from Walsall to Wolverhampton via Pleck; and Walsall to Rugeley. This left passenger operation on only the short section from Walsall to Bescot Junction, and a short length at Lichfield. Electrification In the mid 1960s an extensive electrification programme was undertaken involving main line routes through Birmingham and elsewhere. As part of the work, the short section from Bescot to Walsall was electrified, from 15 August 1966. The Hednesford and Cannock line was not opened to passenger trains until later, but in 2014 it was announced that the line between Walsall and Rugeley was to be electrified, with a completion date of 2017. Lichfield City and the short link on the former SSR route to Lichfield Trent Valley were served by the Cross-City line passenger services from 1978 and 1988 respectively. On 6 June 1993 the Cross-City services, and this short former SSR section, were electrified. Rugeley passenger services Passing through an area which after World War II was subject to industrial decline, usage of the passenger trains on the Cannock and Rugeley