Birmingham International railway station

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

Birmingham International
Entrance to the station
Location	Birmingham Airport, Metropolitan Borough of Solihull England
Coordinates	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
2015/16	5.773 million
Interchange	94,356
2016/17	6.468 million
Interchange	104,487
2017/18	6.664 million
Interchange	108,090
2018/19	6.975 million
Interchange	152,468
2019/20	6.520 million
Interchange	151,316
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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.

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[2]

• 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 Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
• 2 trains per day to Shrewsbury

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

Transport for Wales[3]

• 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

CrossCountry[4]

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

West Midlands Trains [5]

• 3 trains per hour to Birmingham New Street, of which 2 continues to Liverpool Lime Street
• 3 trains per hour to London Euston via Northampton
• 1 train per hour to Rugeley Trent Valley

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.[6] 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

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
2. GB eNRT, Tables 65, 66 & 68
3. GB eNRT, Tables 74 & 75
4. GB eNRT, Table 51
5. GB eNRT, Table 68
6. 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

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