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The station was designed by the architect Ray Moorcroft and opened on 26 January 1976; it has regular train services to many parts of the country. It was named Birmingham International after the adjacent airport, which had at the time that name but is today called simply Birmingham Airport. A large space under the overbridge next to the southbound platforms suggests an allowance for future station expansion.
In 2016, it was proposed to rename it to Birmingham Airport & NEC, due to the airport's name change and the near presence of the National Exhibition Centre.
2 trains per day (tpd) run further to Blackpool North only, with 1 train every 2 hours running to Edinburgh (6tpd) and 4 trains per day (tpd) running to Glasgow Central. Services to Scotland run via Carlisle.
At peak times some Avanti West Coast services to/from London Euston start and terminate here.
1 tp2h continues to Holyhead via Wrexham General and Chester. One service in the evening runs to each of Llandudno (Monday to Friday only) and Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Bank Quay. One Saturday evening service terminates at Crewe, with the last two Chester-bound services on Sundays running via Crewe.
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 CarCable 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.
Undercover 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 is to be built on the other side of the M42 motorway from the station to link it with the proposed High Speed 2 rail line. The new interchange would be connected to the station by an automated people mover, as well as to the airport and National Exhibition centre; 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. ISBN1-85260-508-1. R508.
Entrance to the station
6.520 million
2.411 million
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