Trains to Birmingham International - Station Details and further Information on Birmingham International Train Services
Birmingham International train station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England. The station is on the West Coast Main Line 8½ miles east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. The train 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 in 1975 and has regular train services to many parts of the country. Services are offered by Virgin Trains, London Midland, Arriva Trains Wales.
A maglev service ran from the airport terminal to the Birmingham International train station from 1984 until 1995. The train "flew" at an altitude of 15 mm over a track 620m 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. Although construction was essentially completed by early 2002, delays to start of construction of the new Interchange at the train station end meant it was not possible to open the system until March 2003 when the Interchange was completed. The system was originally known as SkyRail but in 2004 it was renamed AirRail Link.
The international airport can also be reached via a dedicated fast bus service from Coleshill Parkway station, on the Birmingham to Peterborough Line; the buses run four times per hour and the journey takes around fifteen minutes. |