Birmingham International railway station

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Birmingham International
Entrance to the station
Location	Birmingham Airport, Metropolitan Borough of Solihull England
Coordinates	52°27′04″N 1°43′30″W / 52.451°N 1.725°W / 52.451; -1.725Coordinates: 52°27′04″N 1°43′30″W / 52.451°N 1.725°W / 52.451; -1.725
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
2016/17	6.468 million
2017/18	6.664 million
2018/19	6.975 million
Interchange	152,468
2019/20	6.520 million
Interchange	151,316
2020/21	0.512 million
Interchange	33,453
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Birmingham International is a railway station located in Solihull in the West Midlands, to the east of the city of Birmingham, England.

The station is on the Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford Line 14 km (8½ miles) east of Birmingham New Street and serves Birmingham Airport, National Exhibition Centre (incorporating the Resorts World Arena) and Resorts World Birmingham.

History[]

The station was designed by the architect Ray Moorcroft and opened on 26 January 1976,^[1] and has regular train services to many parts of the country. It was named Birmingham International after the adjacent airport which was at the time named Birmingham International Airport, but has since been rebranded as Birmingham Airport. The large space under the overbridge to the left of the southbound platforms suggests space was allowed for future expansion of the station.

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[]

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 station at platform level.

The basic off-peak service is as follows:

Avanti West Coast^[3]

• 2 trains per hour to London Euston
• 2 trains per hour to Birmingham New Street, of which
  • 1 train per hour continues to Blackpool North/Edinburgh Waverley (alternating each hour) via Wolverhampton and Preston
  • 2 trains per day continue to Shrewsbury via Wolverhampton and Telford Central

During rush hour certain Avanti West Coast services to/from London Euston start and terminate here.

CrossCountry^[4]

• 1 train per hour to Manchester Piccadilly via Macclesfield
• 1 train per hour to Bournemouth via Reading

Transport for Wales^[5]

• 1 train per hour to Shrewsbury, of which:
  • 1 train per two hours continues to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli after dividing at Machynlleth
  • 1 train per two hours continues to Holyhead via Wrexham General and Chester

West Midlands Trains^[6]

• 4 trains per hour to Birmingham New Street, of which:
  • 2 trains call at Marston Green only, under the London Northwestern Railway brand
  • 1 train starts here and calls at Marston Green, Lea Hall, Stechford and Adderley Park and continues to Rugeley Trent Valley, under the West Midlands Railway brand
  • 1 train starts here and calls at Marston Green, Lea Hall and Stechford, under the West Midlands Railway brand
• 2 trains per hour to London Euston via Northampton calling at Hampton-in-Arden, Berkswell, Tile Hill, Canley and principle stations to London Euston, under the London Northwestern Railway brand

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Coventry		Avanti West Coast London Euston-Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street		Birmingham New Street
		Avanti West Coast London Euston-Birmingham New Street
		CrossCountry Bournemouth/Reading-Manchester Piccadilly
Berkswell		London Northwestern Railway London Euston - Birmingham New Street via Northampton Some services extend to Rugeley Trent Valley		Marston Green
Hampton-in-Arden				Birmingham New Street
Terminus		Transport for Wales Birmingham International-Chester/Holyhead		Birmingham New Street
		Transport for Wales Cambrian Line Birmingham International-Aberystwyth/Pwllheli
Terminus		West Midlands Railway Birmingham International-Rugeley Trent Valley		Marston Green
		West Midlands Railway Birmingham International-Birmingham New Street
Hampton-in-Arden		West Midlands Railway Coventry-Birmingham New Street (Limited service)		Marston Green
Preceding station		AirRail Link		Following station
Terminus		AirRail Link (Formerly Maglev)		Birmingham Airport

Connection to Birmingham Airport[]

AirRail Link people mover system showing the track and pulley system

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[]

Under cover 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[]

The proposed 'Birmingham Interchange'

A new Birmingham Interchange railway station is to be built on the other side of the M42 motorway from the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Airport and this station.^[7] The new interchange would be connected by a "rapid transit people mover" to the other sites; the AirRail Link people mover already operates between Birmingham International station and the airport.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Birmingham International railway station.

• Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Birmingham International station