Route of Cross City Railway through Birmingham

iii

News and Information about Birmingham

Rail Routes: Cross City Line

Home

Sitemap

Railway Stations in Birmingham

Rail Routes through Birmingham

New Street Station

Route of Cross City Line through Birmingham

Overview

The Cross City Line runs through Birmingham for roughly 17 miles from Longbridge to Hill Hook via New Street Station.

There are 17 Birmingham stations which are spaced at intervals of roughly one mile.

Most trains travelling to or arriving from the south-west, South Wales and Welsh borders pass through south Birmingham on the Cross City Line.

A report published by the Campaign for Better Transport in October 2010 stated that railway stations on the Cross City Line were routinely unmanned in the evenings and were often unstaffed for up to three days at a time (News Archive 04/10/10)

Birmingham Stations on the Cross City Line (Top)

The following 17 Birmingham Stations are on the Cross City Line:

Longbridge, Northfield, Kings Norton, Bournville, Selly Oak, University, Five Ways, Birmingham New Street, Duddeston, Aston, Gravelly Hill, Erdington, Chester Road, Wylde Green, Sutton Coldfield, Four Oaks and Butlers Lane.

Map of Cross City Line through Birmingham (Top)

Refresh page if map does not show or go to our google page for this map

View Larger Map

This map only shows the route of the Cross City Railway through Birmingham. This website also contains a complete map of the Cross City Line

Longbridge Junction (Top)

Heading northwards from Redditch, the Cross City Line enters south-west Birmingham at Longbridge, skirts Cofton Park and runs beneath Grovelly Lane and past the former site of the Longbridge Works before reaching Longbridge Junction.

At Longbridge Junction, it is joined by a service line from the old Rover car factory before entering Longbridge Station.

Vandals attempted to cut signal cables in Longbridge on Tuesday 31st May 2011 (News Headlines 07/06/11).

Through Northfield (Top)

Heading north-eastwards from Longbridge Station, the line runs beneath Tessall Lane and continues in a north-easterly direction through the Rea Valley passing Mill Lane Recreation Ground, the Coney Green Drive Allotments and Daffidol Park before reaching Northfield Station.

Kings Norton Junction (Top)

From Northfield Station, the line curves in a north-easterly direction above Church Hill, Wychall Road and Popes Lane. It then passes through a belt of suburban housing before skirting the Wychall Reservoir, Eckersall Road Industrial Estate and Camp Lane Playing Fields.

From there, it travels through Kings Norton Railway Station and arrives at Kings Norton Junction where it is joined by the Camp Hill Freight Line.

Lifford Curve (Top)

Heading eastwards from Kings Norton Junction, the Cross City Line travels under Pershore Road South and enters the Lifford Curve, turning northwards past Cotteridge Park, the Stirchley industrial estates and a belt of suburban housing before running alongside the Birmingham and Worcester Canal into Bournville Railway Station.

Through Bournville to Selly Oak (Top)

Heading northwards from Bournville Station, past the Cadbury chocolate factory, the line continues on the west bank of the Birmingham and Worcester Canal travelling beneath Raddlebarn Road and past Selly Oak Hospital where it bridges the canal, crossing from the west to the east bank, before entering Selly Oak Station.

Bristol Road Viaduct, Battery Park and University of Birmingham (Top)

Continuing north-eastwards from Selly Oak Station, the Cross City Line is carried by a viaduct above the A38 Bristol Road; it then runs through Battery Retail Park alongside the canal, crossing from the east to the west bank.

A third viaduct was installed on this section of the line in December 2010 in order to bridge the new Selly Oak bypass (News Archive 28/12/10).

From Selly Oak, the line skirts the Edgbaston campus of the University of Birmingham and passes the Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, the University Medical School and the QE Super Hospital before arriving at University Station.

Somerset Road (Top)

Heading north-eastwards from University Station, the line continues alongside the canal beneath Pritchatts Road and then skirts Pritchatts Park Student Village and Birmingham Research Park before reaching Somerset Road.

There was a station on Somerset Road from 1876 until 1930. The only remnant is a bricked-up entrance to the long-demolished platforms which sat in a cutting.

Man Hit by Train Near Somerset Road Viaduct

A man was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit by a train on the Cross City Line, near the Somerset Road viaduct in Edgbaston, at around 4.45pm on Monday 11th July 2011 (News Headlines 14/07/11).

Edgbaston Tunnels (Top)

Heading north-eastwards from Somerset Road, the Cross City Line continues alongside the Birmingham and Worcester Canal, past the Vale Student Village and through the 105-metre Edgbaston Tunnel that carries it beneath Church Road and into the Edgbaston Conservation Area.

Lee Bank (Top)

From Church Road, the line runs alongside the Birmingham and Worcester Canal, travelling beneath St James Road before arriving at Five Ways Station next to the Lee Bank Housing Estate on the Middle Ring Road.

New Street Junction (Top)

Heading northwards from Lee Bank, the Cross City Line runs under Bath Row and through a series of tunnels that carry it beneath the Birmingham and Worcester Canal which terminates at Gas Street Basin.

Continuing through these tunnels, the line passes under Suffolk Street Queensway and the Mailbox before reaching the subterranean New Street Junction which connects it to the West Coast Mainline.

Past the Rotunda (Top)

From New Street Junction, the Cross City Line runs eastwards through New Street Station and through a series of tunnels past the Rotunda and the Bull Ring and beneath Moor Street and Park Street.

Curzon Junction (Top)

From Park Street, the line runs on a viaduct above Batholomew Street, New Canal Street, Andover Street and Banbury Street before passing the Proof House Canal Junction where the Digbeth Branch Canal meets the Typhoo Arm.

From there, the line enters Curzon Junction which connects it to the West Coast Mainline, near the monumental disused Curzon Street Station which was built as the original terminus of the Birmingham-Euston Line in 1837.

Through Vauxhall (Top)

Heading north-eastwards from Curzon Junction, the Cross City Line runs on a viaduct above Erskine Street, past Vauxhall Public Open Space, and through a belt of inner city housing and industrial estates before reaching Duddeston Station beneath Duddeston Mill Road.

Duddeston Station (Top)

Duddeston Station, formerly known as Vauxhall Station, was the original terminus of the Grand Junction Railway which connected Birmingham to Manchester and Liverpool in 1837. The terminus moved to Curzon Street in 1839 and New Street in 1854.

Aston Junction South (Top)

From Duddeston, the Cross City Line runs on an embankment alongside Melvina Road and above the A47 Saltley Road, past the Nechells Green Housing Estate, and through an industrial belt beneath Long Acre and Nechells Park Road.

From there, the line passes the Wing Zip superstore and bridges Aston Brook and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal before reaching Aston Junction South.

Aston Junction South connects the Cross City Line to the Stechford Avoiding Line.

Aston Junction North (Top)

Heading in a north-easterly direction from Aston Junction South, the line travels on an embankment above Lichfield Road and runs through Aston Station before arriving at Aston Junction North.

Aston Junction North connects the Cross City Line to the Birmingham-Walsall Line.

Spaghetti Junction (Top)

From Aston Junction North, the line runs beneath the elevated Aston Expressway before reaching Electric Avenue and the Junction 6 Industrial Estate.

The route then passes beneath the M6 at Spaghetti Junction and continues through a belt of suburban housing, travelling above Slade Road and beneath Hillaries Road before arriving at Gravelly Hill Station.

Through Erdington (Top)

From Gravelly Hill Station, the line runs in a cutting through the Stockland Green area of Erdington, passing through a belt of suburban housing, running beneath Fentham Road and Reservoir Road and travelling on an embankment above Summer Road before arriving at Erdington Station.

Chester Road (Top)

From Erdington Station, the line heads northwards past Erdington Abbey and the Lyndhurst Housing Estate before travelling above the A452 Chester Road by Chester Road Station.

Through Wylde Green (Top)

Continuing northwards from Chester Road, the line passes Boldmere Sports Ground, the Sunnybank Road Allotments, and a belt of suburban housing before reaching Wylde Green Station on Station Road.

Sutton Coldfield (Top)

From Wylde Green, the line heads northwards through affluent suburbia, beneath the A453 Jockey Road, past Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls and then through a tree-lined cutting beneath Driffold, Manor Hill and Manor Road.

It then passes behind Sutton Coldfield Shopping Centre before entering the High Streets Conservation Area and reaching Sutton Coldfield Railway Station whose booking hall is a listed red-brick Victorian building dating from 1863. The interior features decorative columns and some fine ceiling decoration.

Sutton Coldfield Tunnel (Top)

Heading northwards from Sutton Coldfield Station, the Cross City Line runs through a 100-metre tunnel beneath Sutton Coldfield High Street. 17 people died in a crash at the southern portal of this tunnel in 1955.

Tamworth Road Viaduct (Top)

Emerging from Sutton Coldfield Tunnel, the line runs beneath a viaduct carrying Sutton Park Railway. It then passes Sutton Coldfield College, Good Hope Hospital and the Boswell Road Playing Fields before travelling beneath the A453 Tamworth Road Viaduct

Four Oaks (Top)

From Tamworth Road, the Cross City Line continues northwards, past Tamworth Road Sports Field, Moor Hall Golf Club and St Joseph's RC Primary School.

It then runs on a wooded embankment above Little Sutton Road, through affluent suburbia, and arrives at Four Oaks Station.

Butlers Lane (Top)

Continuing northwards from Four Oaks Station, the Cross City Line runs in a cutting alongside the A5127 Lichfield Road and skirts Mere Green shopping centre. It then travels beneath Belwell Lane and past Arthur Terry School before reaching Butlers Lane Station.

Hill Hook (Top)

From Butlers Lane, the line runs in a cutting past Hill West Primary School, Hill Hook Nature Reserve, the Clarence Sports Field and a belt of suburban housing before passing under Hill Hook Road and crossing the municipal border into Staffordshire.

Search This Site

Custom Search