Birmingham International railway station
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
Birmingham International | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Metropolitan Borough of Solihull |
| Managed by | Virgin Trains |
| Platforms | 5 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BHI |
| Fare zone | 5 |
| History | |
| Original company | British Rail |
| Key dates | |
| 26 January 1976 | Opened |
Birmingham International is a railway station located in the borough of Solihull, just 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 both Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. The railway station lies next to the M42 motorway. The 'International' in its name refers to the airport, not to an international railway service. The station 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 station is managed by Virgin Trains and is also served by Arriva Trains Wales, CrossCountry and London Midland. It has five platforms, consisting of two islands and one side platform numbered 1-5 from south to north.
Services
The basic off-peak service is as follows:
- 3 trains per hour to London Euston
- 2 trains per hour to Birmingham New Street
- 1 train per hour to Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley (alternating each hour) via Wolverhampton
- 2 trains per day to Shrewsbury
During rush hour certain Virgin services to/from London Euston start and terminate here.
- 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
- 1 train per hour to Manchester Piccadilly
- 1 train per hour to Bournemouth via Reading
- 4 trains per hour to Birmingham New Street
- 3 trains per hour to London Euston via Northampton
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Arriva Trains Wales Birmingham - Chester |
Birmingham New Street | ||
| Arriva Trains Wales Cambrian Line |
||||
| Hampton-in-Arden | London Midland Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line |
Marston Green | ||
| Coventry | Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line |
Birmingham New Street | ||
| Coventry | CrossCountry Bournemouth-Manchester |
Birmingham New Street | ||
| Preceding station | AirRail Link | Following station | ||
| Terminus | AirRail Link (Formerly Maglev) | Airport Terminal | ||
Connection to Birmingham Airport
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 DCC 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.
High Speed 2
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.[2] 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
- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Department for Transport (11 March 2010). High Speed Rail - Command Paper (PDF). The Stationery Office. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-10-178272-2. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
External links
- Railway stations in Solihull
- Airport railway stations in the United Kingdom
- Railway stations opened by British Rail
- Railway stations opened in 1976
- Railway stations served by Arriva Trains Wales
- Railway stations served by CrossCountry
- Railway stations served by London Midland
- Railway stations served by Virgin Trains