Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International is a railway station known by code "BHI" in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England, just east of Birmingham. It is on the Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line 14 km (8.7 mi) east of Birmingham New Street railway station. BHI serves Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre, the Resorts World Arena, and Resorts World Birmingham.
Entrance to the station | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Birmingham Airport, Bickenhill, Metropolitan Borough of Solihull England | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°27′04″N 1°43′30″W / 52.451°N 1.725°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SP187837 | ||||
| Managed by | Avanti West Coast | ||||
| Transit authority | Transport for West Midlands | ||||
| Platforms | 5 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BHI | ||||
| Fare zone | 5 | ||||
| Classification | DfT category B | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | British Rail | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 26 January 1976 | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 | 6.975 million | ||||
| Interchange | 152,468 | ||||
| 2019/20 | 6.520 million | ||||
| Interchange | 151,316 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.512 million | ||||
| Interchange | 33,453 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 2.411 million | ||||
| Interchange | 92,898 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 4.185 million | ||||
| Interchange | 258,069 | ||||
| |||||
History edit
The station was designed by the architect Ray Moorcroft and opened on 26 January 1976; [1] it has regular train services to many parts of the country. It was named Birmingham International after the adjacent airport, which had at the time that name but is today called simply Birmingham Airport. A large space under the overbridge next to the southbound platforms suggests an allowance for future station expansion.
In 2016, it was proposed to rename it to Birmingham Airport & NEC, due to the airport's name change and the near presence of the National Exhibition Centre.[2]
Services edit
The station is managed by Avanti West Coast and is also served by CrossCountry, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Trains. It has five platforms, consisting of two islands and one side platform numbered 1–5 from south to north.
The basic Monday to Saturday off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is as follows:
- 2tph to London Euston (1 calling at Rugby, Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction). All services call at Coventry.
- 2tph to Birmingham New Street
- 1tph extends northbound to Preston via Wolverhampton and Wigan North Western.
- 2 trains per day (tpd) run further to Blackpool North only, with 1 train every 2 hours running to Edinburgh (6tpd) and 4 trains per day (tpd) running to Glasgow Central. Services to Scotland run via Carlisle.
- 1tph extends northbound to Preston via Wolverhampton and Wigan North Western.
At peak times some Avanti West Coast services to/from London Euston start and terminate here.
- 1tph to Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield
- 1tph to Bournemouth, via Coventry and Reading
Transport for Wales Rail:[5][6]
- 1 tph to Shrewsbury, of which:
- 1 tp2h continues to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli, after dividing at Machynlleth
- 1 tp2h continues to Holyhead via Wrexham General and Chester. One service in the evening runs to each of Llandudno (Monday to Friday only) and Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Bank Quay. One Saturday evening service terminates at Crewe, with the last two Chester-bound services on Sundays running via Crewe.
- 4 tph to Birmingham New Street, of which:
- 2 trains call at Birmingham New Street only, under the London Northwestern Railway brand[9]
- 2 trains start here and call at Marston Green, Lea Hall and Stechford (1tph calls additionally at Adderley Park) before continuing to Rugeley Trent Valley via Walsall, under the West Midlands Railway brand[10]
- 2 tph to London Euston, via Northampton, also calling at Hampton-in-Arden, Berkswell, Tile Hill, Canley, Coventry, Rugby, Long Buckby, Wolverton, Milton Keynes Central, Bletchley and Leighton Buzzard (1tph calls additionally at Watford Junction), under the London Northwestern Railway brand.[9]
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avanti West Coast | ||||
| CrossCountry | ||||
| London Northwestern Railway London – Northampton – Birmingham | ||||
| Terminus | Transport for Wales | |||
| Transport for Wales Birmingham International - Aberystwyth/Pwllheli | ||||
| Terminus | West Midlands Railway Birmingham International – Walsall – Rugeley Trent Valley | |||
| Preceding station | AirRail Link | Following station | ||
| Terminus | AirRail Link (Formerly Maglev) | Birmingham Airport |
Connection to Birmingham Airport edit
A maglev service ran from the airport terminal to the station from 1984 until 1995. The train "flew" at an altitude of 15 mm over a track 620 m in length. It operated for nearly 11 years, but was scrapped because spare parts for the system were no longer available. It was temporarily replaced by a bus.
The chosen replacement system, the Doppelmayr Cable Car Cable Liner Shuttle, was announced in late 2000 and construction started in 2001. The Interchange was opened in March 2003. The system was originally known as SkyRail but in 2004 it was renamed AirRail Link.
The airport can also be reached via a dedicated fast bus service from Coleshill Parkway station, on the Birmingham to Peterborough Line.
Connection to the National Exhibition Centre edit
Undercover walkways, escalators and travelators connect the NEC buildings to the station and to the Air-Rail Link which, in turn, connects to Birmingham Airport.
Birmingham Interchange edit
A new Birmingham Interchange is to be built on the other side of the M42 motorway from the station to link it with the proposed High Speed 2 rail line.[11] The new interchange would be connected to the station by an automated people mover, as well as to the airport and National Exhibition centre; the AirRail Link people mover already operates between Birmingham International station and the airport.
References edit
- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ Jones, Tamlyn; Bannister, Antonia (30 August 2016). "Birmingham International train station to change its name". CoventryLive. from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Scheduled timetable book for 10 December 2023 to 1 June 2024" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
- ^ "Train Timetables | Scotland, North East & Manchester to the South West and South Coast | Sunday 10 December 2023 – Saturday 01 June 2024" (PDF). CrossCountry Trains. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Train Times | 21 May - 9 September 2023 | Birmingham-Shrewsbury-Chester" (PDF). Transport for Wales Rail. (PDF) from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Cambrian | Train Times | 21 May - 9 September 2023 | Birmingham-Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth-Pwllheli" (PDF). Transport for Wales Rail. (PDF) from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Train timetables and schedules | Birmingham International". West Midlands Railway. from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Train timetables and schedules | Birmingham International". London Northwestern Railway. from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Timetable | London Euston-Northampton-Milton Keynes Central-Birmingham New Street | from 21 May until 9 December 2023". London Northwestern Railway. 21 May 2023. from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Train times | 10 December until 1 June 2024 | Rugeley to Birmingham New Street via Walsall". West Midlands Railway.
- ^ Department for Transport (11 March 2010). High Speed Rail - Command Paper (PDF). The Stationery Office. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-10-178272-2. (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
External links edit
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Birmingham International station