University (Birmingham) railway station

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University
Location
Place Edgbaston
Local authority Birmingham
Coordinates 52°27′04″N 1°56′10″W / 52.451, -1.936Coordinates: 52°27′04″N 1°56′10″W / 52.451, -1.936
Grid reference SP043837
Operations
Station code UNI
Managed by London Midland
Platforms in use 2
Live departures and station information from National Rail
Annual Rail Passenger Usage
2004/05 * 0.968 million
2005/06 * 1.06 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE West Midlands
Zone 2
History
1978 Opened
National Rail - UK railway stations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at University from Office of Rail Regulation statistics.
Portal:University (Birmingham) railway station
 UK Railways Portal

University railway station is a railway station serving the University of Birmingham and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the West Midlands. It is situated on the Cross-City Line which runs from Redditch to Lichfield via Birmingham New Street. Most services are operated by London Midland who manage the station, with limited services also operated by CrossCountry.

Contents

[edit] History

Along with Five Ways station, University station was built in 1978 as part of the upgrade of the Cross-City line.[1] Although this was the first station on the site, it is located a short distance away from the former Somerset Road Station which was closed in the 1930s due to poor patronage. The Cross-City Line was electrified in 1993 and with it brought Class 323 electric multiple units on the local services.

[edit] Facilities

Pedestrian access is via University Road West, near to a bus interchange. There are currently no car parking facilities specifically for the station, although nearby Selly Oak station offers 93 free car parking spaces and is a designated Park and Ride station. [2] The station is also situated 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.

The station is the only main line railway station in Great Britain built specifically to serve a university. There is a shop on Platform 1 towards Birmingham, selling drinks and snacks, and a covered waiting room on Platform 2. There are also two automated ticket machines on the concourse and two windowed ticket booths, manned all day Monday to Saturday and from 9:20 on Sundays. There is lift access down to both platforms from the entrance. [3]

University station is currently ungated, although London Midland have committed to installing automatic ticket gatelines at the station by 2009 to reduce fare evasion and safeguard revenue. [4]

[edit] Services

The station is served by London Midland with local Cross-City Line services operated by 3- or 6-car Class 323 electrical multiple units. London Midland's longer-distance services to Hereford and CrossCountry services to Cardiff and Nottingham are operated by air-conditioned Turbostar diesel multiple units.

University station is the sixth busiest station in the Network West Midlands region in terms of passenger numbers, and the busiest without a direct link to London. Just over one million tickets were sold to and from the station in the year 2005-6. [5]

Typical off-peak weekday service is as follows, in trains per hour (tph):[6][7]

[edit] Platform 1, Up (northbound)

All services from Platform 1 stop at Birmingham New Street with an average journey time of 8 minutes.

[edit] Platform 2, Down (southbound)

  Preceding station     National Rail     Following station  
Bromsgrove   CrossCountry
Cardiff-Nottingham		   Birmingham
New Street
Selly Oak   London Midland
Cross-City Line		   Five Ways
Bromsgrove
Barnt Green at Peak Times		   London Midland
Birmingham-Hereford		   Birmingham
New Street

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rail Around Birmingham - University Station.
  2. ^ Birmingham City Council - Railway Station Car Parks.
  3. ^ National Rail Enquiries - Station Facilities for University.
  4. ^ Commitments, plans & progress.
  5. ^ Station usage - : Office of Rail Regulation.
  6. ^ London Midland - Timetables.
  7. ^ CrossCountry - Pocket Timetables.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Railway stations in the West Midlands county
Main line:
Open stations:
Acocks Green • Adderley Park • Aston • Berkswell • Bescot Stadium • Blake Street • Bloxwich • Bloxwich North • Bordesley • Bournville • Butlers Lane • Canley • Chester Road • Coseley • Cradley Heath • Dorridge • Duddeston • Dudley Port • Earlswood • Erdington • Five Ways • Four Oaks • Gravelly Hill • Hall Green • Hampton-in-Arden • Hamstead • Jewellery Quarter • Kings Norton • Langley Green • Lea Hall • Longbridge • Lye • Marston Green • Northfield • Old Hill • Olton • Perry Barr • Rowley Regis • Sandwell and Dudley • Selly Oak • Shirley • Small Heath • Smethwick Galton Bridge • Smethwick Rolfe Street • Solihull • Spring Road • Stechford • Stourbridge Junction • Stourbridge Town • Sutton Coldfield • Tame Bridge Parkway • The Hawthorns • Tile Hill • Tipton • Tyseley • University • Walsall • Whitlocks End • Widney Manor • Witton • Wylde Green • Wythall • Yardley Wood
Disused:
Albion • Aldridge • Baptist End • Bentley • Bilston Central • Bilston West • Blowers Green • Bradley • Brettell Lane • Brierley Hill • Brockmoor Halt • Bromley Halt • Brownhills • Brownhills Watling Street • Bushbury • Compton Halt • Coundon Road • Curzon Street • Daimler Halt • Daisy Bank • Darby End • Darlaston • Darlaston James Bridge • Dudley • Dunstall Park • Ettingshall Road • Gornal Halt • Great Bridge North • Great Bridge South • Hagley Road • Handsworth & Smethwick • Harborne • Harts Hill • Heath Town • Hockley • Icknield Port Road • Monmore Green • Monument Lane • Moseley • North Walsall • Old Hill High Street • Oldbury • Pelsall • Penns • Pensnett Halt • Pleck • Portobello • Priestfield • Princes End & Coseley • Rood End • Rotton Park Road • Round Oak • Rushall • Short Heath • Smethwick West • Soho • Soho & Winson Green • Somerset Road • Spon Lane • Swan Village • Tettenhall • Tipton Five Ways • Walsall Wood • Wednesbury Central • Wednesbury Town • Wednesfield • Wednesfield Heath for Wolverhampton • West Bromwich • Willenhall Bilston Street • Willenhall Stafford Street • Windmill End • Winson Green • Wolverhampton Low Level • Wood Green
Heritage:
Midland Metro (Line 1):
List of West Midlands railway stations • Transport in the West Midlands • Midland Metro • Centro
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