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 andAssociated 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 | |||||
| 2019/20 |  3.975 million | ||||
| 2020/21 |  0.731 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 1.961 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 2.633 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 3.051 million | ||||
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University railway station serves theUniversity of Birmingham,Birmingham Women's Hospital, and theQueen Elizabeth Hospital in theWest Midlands ofEngland. It is on theCross-City Line, which runs fromRedditch andBromsgrove toLichfield viaBirmingham New Street. Most services are operated byWest Midlands Railway who manage the station, but some are operated byCrossCountry.
The station is the only main line railway station inGreat Britain built specifically to serve auniversity.
Located on the formerBirmingham West Suburban Railway, University station was built in 1977–8 to the designs of the architect John Broome[1] as part of the upgrade of the Cross City line.[2] The station was opened byWilliam Rodgers, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 8 May 1978. It is a short distance away from the formerSomerset Road station which closed in the 1930s. The station is partly built on the site of the ancientMetchley Roman Fort. The Cross-City Line was electrified in 1993 and the currentClass 323electric multiple units were introduced byBritish Rail on local services.
In 2017, it was announced that the station would receive up to £10 million as an improvement fund to enhance passenger experience and reduce overcrowding, as part of the Government's Midlands Engine Strategy.[3]
In July 2019,West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) andTransport for West Midlands (TfWM)[4] announced plans to redevelop the station in order to accommodate increasing passenger numbers generally and those arising from the2022 Commonwealth Games, of which two events were held at venues on the University of Birmingham campus.[5] The upgrades are intended to allow the station, originally designed for approximately 500,000 passengers a year, to handle more than 7 million passengers annually.[6] It is one of the busiest railway stations in the West Midlands region; as of 2024[update], 3.5 million people use the station annually.[7]
The plans included:[6]
On 22 July 2020,Minister of State for TransportChris Heaton-Harris announced £12 million of government funding towards the expected £56 million cost of the project.[8] The remaining £44 million was to be funded by a consortium comprising theUniversity of Birmingham,Birmingham City Council,Network Rail,West Midlands Trains, and theGreater Birmingham and Solihull LEP.[8]
Construction work took place from 2021 to 2024. The architects wereAssociated Architects and the contractor wasVolkerFitzpatrick.[9] The extended platforms were opened in time for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in July 2022, and the new buildings were opened on 28 January 2024.[10] Numerous other facilities within the station were improved, replaced, or expanded. The widths of the platforms were doubled and equipped with a canopy for sun and rain protection, and the landscaping was improved.[11][7]
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: appears to refer to situation before redevelopment. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2024) |
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 nearbySelly Oak station is a designatedPark and Ride station.[12] The station is alongside theWorcester and Birmingham Canal, a popularcycling andjogging route. Access is at street level as there is a fence between Platform 2 and thetowpath.
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 coveredwaiting room. Fare control is enforced by a line of automatic ticket barriers installed in April 2009, atFive Ways station.
The station is served byWest Midlands Trains with localTransport for West Midlands branded "Cross-City" services, operated usingClass 323Electric multiple units (EMUs)[14] until September 2024 and currently byClass 730 EMUs.[15]
West Midlands Railway's longer-distance services toHereford are operated usingClass 196diesel multiple units (DMUs)[16] andCrossCountry services toCardiff andNottingham are operated byClass 170 DMUs.[17][18]
University station is the sixth busiest station in theTransport 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]
All services from Platform 1 stop atBirmingham New Street with an average journey time of around 7 minutes.
Services from this platform include:
On Mondays to Saturdays:
West Midlands Railway:
CrossCountry:
On Sundays:
West Midlands Railway:
CrossCountry:
Weekday services from this platform include:
West Midlands Railway:
CrossCountry:
On Sundays:
West Midlands Railway:
CrossCountry:
| 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 | ||
| CrossCountry | ||||
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.
