We’re upgrading the signalling system across the Birmingham New Street area to enable faster, more reliable journeys for passengers across the West Midlands.
The Birmingham New Street resignalling project is a key part of Network Rail’s £600 million investment to upgrade signalling systems across the West Midlands. The final stage of the work will see all signalling equipment renewed in the Birmingham New Street Power Signal Box area.
Previous phases have delivered upgrades to signalling systems along the radiating routes from Birmingham New Street, including to Birmingham International, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Walsall.
Birmingham Old Street?
Most of the signalling equipment in the Birmingham New Street area was commissioned in 1966, and will be 56 years old by the time it's renewed.
More than 50 years after it was first commissioned, the equipment is managing passenger numbers and traffic levels which would have been unimaginable when it was designed and installed.
Traditionally serving around 140,000 passengers a day, Birmingham New Street is Britain’s fifth busiest rail station, and the busiest outside of London.
The key rail interchange handles local, regional and long-distance services to and from London, Scotland and Wales, as well as the south, the south west, the north east and north west of England.
Delivering without disruption
The Birmingham New Street resignalling project has required an immense amount of planning to ensure that passenger disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.
Though work will continue for over 16 months, a full train timetable will be in operation for passengers during this period.
A rolling programme of platform closures will allow engineers to focus on one platform at a time.
This will mean some platform changes for passengers – information can be found via posters and screens at the station, or by talking to members of the helpful station team.
Platform closures programme
Below is a table outlining the provisional dates of the rolling programme of platform closures that are necessary to complete the Birmingham New Street resignalling project.
Please note these dates are still subject to change as engineers work to undertake as much work as possible while causing the least disruption to passengers.
Birmingham New Street platform closure dates
| Platform number | Dates of planned works | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Platform 9 | 06 June – 04 July 2021 | 4 weeks |
| Platform 8 | 04 July – 01 August 2021 | 4 weeks |
| Platform 1 | 01 August – 03 October 2021 | 9 weeks |
| Platform 2 | 03 October – 31 October 2021 | 4 weeks |
| Platform 3 | 31 October – 28 November 2021 | 4 weeks |
| Platform 4 | 01 January – 06 February 2022 | 4 weeks |
| Platform 5 | 06 February – 13 March 2022 | 5 weeks |
| Platform 6 | 03 April – 08 May 2022 | 5 weeks |
| Platform 7 | 08 May – 05 June 2022 | 4 weeks |
Making your journey
If you’re travelling through Birmingham New Street while the resignalling work takes place, you may find that trains arrive at and depart from different platforms than usual.
Check your platforms before travelling using the National Rail Enquiries website or with your train operator, and look out for our updated signage across the station which will let passengers know which platforms are closed.
The station team will also be on hand to answer any questions or concerns you may have about your journey.
Contact us
For more information or to get in touch with us, please contact us by visiting our contact us page or by calling our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.