University railway station serves the University of Birmingham, Birmingham Women's Hospital, and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in south west Birmingham England. It is on the Cross-City Line, which runs from and to via . Most services are operated by West Midlands Railway who also manage the station, and some are operated by CrossCountry.

The station is the only main line railway station in Great Britain built specifically to serve a university.

History

Construction

Located on the former Birmingham West Suburban Railway, University station was built in 1977–8 to the designs of the architect John Broome as part of the upgrade of the Cross City line. The station was opened by William Rodgers, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 8 May 1978. It is a short distance away from the former Somerset Road station, which closed in the 1930s. The station is partly built on the site of the ancient Metchley Roman Fort. The Cross-City Line was electrified in 1993, and electric multiple units were introduced by British Rail on local services. trains were introduced in January 2025.

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.

Redevelopment

In July 2019, West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) announced plans to redevelop the station in order to accommodate increasing passenger numbers generally and those arising from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, of which two events were held at venues on the University of Birmingham campus. 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. It is one of the busiest railway stations in the West Midlands region; , 3.5 million people use the station annually. The remaining £44 million was to be funded by a consortium comprising the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, West Midlands Trains, and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP. 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. 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.

Facilities

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Pedestrian access is via University Road West, close to the Medical School and bus interchange - uphill from University Centre. Owing to the station's campus location on a service road, there is no car parking, although nearby Selly Oak station is a designated Park and Ride station. The station sits alongside the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, a popular route for cyclists and joggers. Access is at street level as there is a fence between Platform 2 and the towpath.

On the concourse are two automated ticket machines and two windowed ticket booths, staffed Monday to Friday 07:00–20:00, Saturday 08:00–19:00, and Sunday 10:00–16:00. There is lift access down to both platforms from the entrance. After crossing the river via the elevated walkway from the south-east passage, stairs and a Z-shaped ramp connect to the campus. Platform 2 has a covered waiting room. Fare control is enforced by a line of automatic ticket barriers installed at the passage to both platforms, there is a kiosk within the fare gates on each platform at this station to provide fare adjustment services for passengers.

thumb|right|A Centro livery Class 323 arriving at the station in 2007

thumb|A West Midlands Railway Class 323 to Redditch departs University in 2021

Services

The station is served by West Midlands Trains with local Transport for West Midlands branded "Cross-City" services, operated using Electric multiple units (EMUs) until September 2024, and, by EMUs.

West Midlands Railway's longer-distance services to are operated using diesel multiple units (DMUs) and CrossCountry services to and are operated by DMUs.

University station is the sixth busiest station in the Transport for West Midlands region in terms of passenger numbers, and the busiest without a direct link to London. In both 2018–19 and 2019–20, passenger journeys to and from the station were just under four million.

The station is a penalty fare station for West Midlands Railway passengers without valid tickets, but not for CrossCountry passengers.

The typical off-peak weekday service, in trains per hour (tph) is:

Platform 1 (Northbound)

All services from Platform 1 stop at with an average journey time of around 7 minutes.

Weekday services from this platform include:

West Midlands Railway:

  • 5 trains per hour (tph) run northbound to
  • Of which:
  • 2 tph continue to via
  • 2 tph continue to via Four Oaks
  • 1 tph runs to Birmingham New Street only.

CrossCountry:

  • 1 train per hour to via .

Platform 2 (Southbound)

Weekday services from this platform include:

West Midlands Railway:

  • 4 trains per hour run to
  • Of which:
  • 2 tph continue to
  • 2 tph continue to
  • 1 train per hour runs to via Bromsgrove

CrossCountry:

  • 1 train per hour to

Disabled access

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.

This station has an hearing-aid induction loop installed to aid persons with hearing impairments. In regard to ticket procurement, a ticket vending machine has been installed within the Booking Hall, and in addition, staff can assist at the accessible booking office counter.