I visited charming station and rode Europe's shortest railway line and loved every 'minute' of it

The Stourbridge Shuttle is a quirky rail service that operates between two stations in the West Midlands town of Stourbridge - and it takes less than five minutes to complete

Get ready for a unique journey on one of Europe's most distinctive train rides. While the continent boasts the likes of the Glacier Express through the Swiss Alps and the opulent Venice-Simplon Orient Express from London to Venice, here in the West Midlands we have something truly special - Europe's shortest branch line.

I find myself standing on a quaint platform, eagerly awaiting my train. This isn't your typical Avanti West Coast service that you'd see pulling into Birmingham's New Street station. Instead, a small yellow and purple train slowly comes into view, just three minutes after my arrival.

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I'm at Stourbridge Town train station, nestled next to the town's bus station and just off the ring road. It's a charming little station with a single platform, where the Stourbridge Shuttle transports passengers the short 0.8 mile journey to the larger Stourbridge Junction, offering connections to Birmingham Snow Hill, Kidderminster and beyond. The branch line between the two Stourbridge stations has been in operation since 1879, but the Stourbridge Shuttle has been running for the past 15 years, dutifully carrying passengers along Europe's shortest passenger route since 2009.

With a top speed of just 20mph, I know this won't be a high-speed adventure. As the Stourbridge Shuttle gently comes to a halt, the double doors open and around a dozen passengers disembark.

Arriving three minutes early might seem like a miracle for most British rail services, but it's just another day for the Stourbridge Shuttle. This service is one of the most reliable on the national network, boasting an impressive reliability score of 99.6%.

The shuttle runs every 10 minutes in both directions between Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junction, from the early hours of the morning until late at night. As I step onto the shuttle with a few other passengers, I take note of the 21 seats and handrails, indicating that this little train can carry quite a crowd.

At 1.20pm, the doors beep and close, and we're off. The driver and another staff member engage in friendly chatter as we navigate a winding, single track, passing through lush greenery, under bridges, and by local houses and schools.

Four minutes later, we arrive at the larger Stourbridge Junction station, where another Stourbridge Shuttle rests under a large canopy and a charming coffee shop, Caffe Presto, is nestled into the brick wall between platforms.

In addition to coffee, the shop offers a variety of drinks, snacks, toiletries, and earphones - all must-haves for public transportation. I manage to squeeze in a £3 espresso purchase just in time before boarding the 1.35pm train back to Stourbridge Town.

This service has more passengers, possibly due to the larger train that had just arrived at Platform 2. Among them is a man with a guide dog, who receives assistance from friendly staff as he boards the shuttle.

We depart shortly after, and following a smooth four-minute journey downhill, we arrive back at Stourbridge Town. Although uneventful, the journey is notable for being part of the UK's only very light rail (VLR) service.

The Stourbridge Shuttle is unique in its use of British Class 139 vehicles, manufactured by Parry People Movers, with two in operation on the Stourbridge branch line. According to Pre Metro Operations Ltd, which operates the service on behalf of West Midlands Railway, the shuttle is described as a "self-sustained tram".

It is powered by a flywheel and LPG engines, a cleaner fossil fuel than petrol and diesel. The LPG engines accelerate the flywheel, which captures energy during downhill segments and braking, reusing it on uphill segments.

As a result, Pre Operations Metro Ltd claims the Stourbridge Shuttle is also "notably eco-friendly". The company has also proposed a new VLR service between Stourbridge Junction and Brierley Hill, which would be known as the Stourbridge Dasher.

I recently had the opportunity to ride the Stourbridge Shuttle, purchasing an open return ticket for just £1.15 via the Trainline app. The train stations were easily accessible, with Stourbridge Town station located near a bus station and bike stands, and a nearby car park offering free parking for the first two hours.

At Stourbridge Junction, a station car park is available for £4.30 per day. As a frequent train user, I found the Stourbridge Shuttle to be a refreshing experience, with on-time and regular services, and easily accessible stations.

The Stourbridge Shuttle also provided insight into the potential of VLR technology in the region, offering a greener transportation option for underserved areas. The proposed Stourbridge Dasher sounds promising, and as a native of Sedgley, I wonder if a Sedgley Shuttle could be a possibility in the future.