University is a stop on the Cross-City Line in Birmingham between Five Ways and Selly Oak.
Under the old station canopy, the new canopies can be seen in the background!
Information
Type:
National Rail (Cross-City Line)
Station code:
UNI
Opened:
1978
Platforms:
2
In 1978 services were restored on the former Birmingham West Suburban Railway between Longbridge and Birmingham New Street through to Lichfield as the Cross-City Line. University was a new station opened to serve Birmingham University and the Queen Elizabeth hospital. The station is near the site of a former station called Somerset Road which closed in 1930.
The Cross-City Line was an immediate hit with passengers with service frequencies quickly increased [1], also there were extensions made to the route. The Cross-City Line was electrified in 1993. University is the second busiest station on the line after Birmingham New Street with around three million passengers a year. The station has a red brick station building and two corrugated metal canopies over part of the two platforms, a design used on a number of stations on the line [2]. Access is via a stairway from the ticket hall at road level, the line and platforms being in a cutting.
Work began in 2020 on a complete redevelopment of the station with new much larger station buildings and full length canopies to equip the station ready for the 2022 Commonwealth Games which were held in Birmingham (some events taking place on the University campus). Unfortunately the work was not completed in time for the games and is now due to be completed in 2023.
As well as West Midlands Railway Cross-City Line services, other WMR services also stop here to/from Hereford and Worcester as do some Cross Country services.
A Cross Country service passes the new (but not completed) station buildings
One of the new station buildings
WMR 323 209 arrives at University
View down the platform at the new station
Another Cross County service passes the station, the old station in the background this time!
[1] John Glover, BR Diary 1978-1985 (Ian Allan, 1985) p. 19 [2] David Lawrence, British Rail Architecture 1948-97 (Crecy Publishing, 2018) p. 155
