University railway station (England)

For the other stations named University, see University station.

University
View of redeveloped station in 2023.
General information
Location	Edgbaston, Birmingham England
Coordinates	52°27′04″N1°56′10″W / 52.451°N 1.936°W / 52.451; -1.936
Grid reference	SP043837
Managed by	West Midlands Railway
Transit authority	Transport for West Midlands
Platforms	2
Construction
Architect	John Broome (original) 1978 and Associated Architects (rebuild) 2024
Other information
Station code	UNI
Fare zone	2
Classification	DfT category D
History
Original company	British Rail
Key dates
1978	Opened
2024	Rebuilt
Passengers
2020/21	0.731 million

Pedestrian access is via University Road West, close to the Medical School and bus interchange - around 330 yards (300 m) uphill from University Square. Owing to the station's campus location on a service road there is no car parking, although nearby Selly Oak station is a designated Park and Ride station. ^[12] The station is alongside the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, a popular cycling and jogging route. Access is at street level as there is a fence between Platform 2 and the towpath.

On the concourse are two automated ticket machines and two windowed ticket booths, staffed all day Monday to Saturday and from 9:20 on Sundays. There is lift access down to both platforms from the entrance. ^[13] Platform 2 has a covered waiting room. Fare control is enforced by a line of automatic ticket barriers installed in April 2009, at Five Ways station.

A Centro livery Class 323 arriving at the station in 2007

A West Midlands Railway Class 323 to Redditch departs University in 2021

Services

The station is served by West Midlands Trains with local Transport for West Midlands branded "Cross-City" services, operated using Class 323 Electric multiple units (EMUs) ^[14] until September 2024 and currently by Class 730 EMUs. ^[15]

West Midlands Railway's longer-distance services to Hereford are operated using Class 196 diesel multiple units (DMUs) ^[16] and CrossCountry services to Cardiff and Nottingham are operated by Class 170 DMUs. ^{[17] [18]}

University station is the sixth busiest station in the Transport for West Midlands region in terms of passenger numbers, and the busiest without a direct link to London. Just under four million passenger journeys were made to and from the station in the periods 2018–19 and 2019–20.

The typical off-peak weekday service, in trains per hour (tph) is: ^{[19] [20] [21]}

Platform 1 (Northbound)

All services from Platform 1 stop at Birmingham New Street with an average journey time of around 7 minutes.

Services from this platform include:

On Mondays to Saturdays:

West Midlands Railway:

• 5 trains per hour (tph) run northbound to Birmingham New Street
  • Of which:
    • 2 tph continue to Four Oaks via Sutton Coldfield, calling at all stations Duddeston to Four Oaks.
    • 2 tph continue to Lichfield Trent Valley, calling at all stations except Duddeston.
    • 1 tph runs to Birmingham New Street only.

CrossCountry:

• 1 tph to Nottingham via Derby.
• 1 train per day (tpd) to Stansted Airport via Nuneaton, Leicester, Peterborough and Cambridge.

On Sundays:

West Midlands Railway:

• 2 tph to Lichfield Trent Valley, calling at all stations
• 1 tph to Birmingham New Street, calling at Five Ways and Birmingham New Street only
• 1 tph to Birmingham New Street only.

CrossCountry:

• 1 tph to Nottingham

Platform 2 (Southbound)

Weekday services from this platform include:

West Midlands Railway:

• 4 trains per hour run to Longbridge via Selly Oak and Kings Norton
  • Of which:
    • 2 tph continue to Bromsgrove, 1tph does not call at Barnt Green.
    • 2 tph continue to Redditch via Alvechurch, calling at all stations.

• 1 tph runs to Hereford via Bromsgrove and Worcester Foregate Street. In the peak, there are some additional trains (1 tph) to Worcester Shrub Hill via Great Malvern.

CrossCountry:

• 1 tph to Cardiff Central via Cheltenham Spa, Gloucester and Newport.

On Sundays:

West Midlands Railway:

• 2 tph to Redditch, calling at all stations
• 1 tph to Bromsgrove, calling at all stations.
• 1 tph to Hereford.

CrossCountry:

• 1 tph to Cardiff Central
• 1 tpd to Leicester

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Five Ways		West Midlands Railway Lichfield – Four Oaks – Birmingham – Bromsgrove/Redditch Cross-City Line		Selly Oak
Birmingham New Street		West Midlands Railway Birmingham – Bromsgrove – Worcester – Hereford		Bromsgrove or Droitwich Spa or Barnt Green
Birmingham New Street		CrossCountry Cardiff – Nottingham		Worcestershire Parkway

Disabled access

There is level access from the street to the ticket office and footbridge. Lifts provide access to both platforms from the footbridge. The station has a wide ticket gate which wheelchair users can use unaided.

References

1. Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 155. ISBN   9780860936855.
2. "University Station". Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
3. "Midlands Engine Strategy" (PDF). HM Government, Department for Communities and Local Government. March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
4. "University Station redevelopment plan launched in Birmingham". Rail Technology Magazine. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
5. "University of Birmingham unveiled as latest official partner of Birmingham 2022". University of Birmingham. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
6. "University Station". Transport for West Midlands. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021.
7. "New University Station buildings to open their doors this Sunday". www.wmca.org.uk. West Midlands Combined Authority. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
8. "Major Birmingham University station upgrade will boost economy and improve journeys for passengers". GOV.UK. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
9. "University Station at the University of Birmingham". It’s Your Build. Your Place Your Space. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
10. "Birmingham railway station's new buildings open to public". BBC Birmingham. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
11. "University Station, Birmingham". Railway Technology. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
12. "Railway Station Car Parks". Birmingham City Council. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
13. "Station Facilities for University". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
14. "Class 323 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
15. "Class 730 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
16. "Class 196 fleet". West Midlands Railway.
17. "About our Trains | Voyager and Turbostar". CrossCountry Trains.
18. "Refurbishment of Class 170 Turbostar trains begins". CrossCountry Trains.
19. "Train Timetables and Schedules | University (Birmingham)". West Midlands Railway.
20. "The Cross City Line: Lichfield Trent Valley – Four Oaks – Sutton Coldfield – Birmingham – University – Bromsgrove / Redditch | Timetable from Sunday 15 December 2024 until 17 May 2025". West Midlands Railway.
21. "Train Timetables | Stansted, Cambridge, Leicester and Nottingham to Birmingham & Cardiff | Sunday 21 May - Saturday 9 December 2023" (PDF). CrossCountry Trains.

External links

• Train times and station information for University railway station (England) from National Rail

• Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: University railway station