All the rail travel disruptions expected in Birmingham this summer: Engineering works, strikes & more

Rail travel will be disrupted in Birmingham due to several planned engineering and repair works as well as industrial action this summer - and customers have been advised to plan ahead for them.

With the Late May Bank Holiday around the corner, several people might have plans to travel in and beyond Birmingham.

Your travel plans could be affected if you are travelling on one of the dates listed below during which engineering works or industrial action is planned. Several disruptions will also take place next month which might affect summer travel plans in June.

Network Rail says on its website that they “plan works for certain times so they cause the least disruption to passengers, such as on bank holidays, Sundays and overnight, when the network is less busy.”

Here is the full list of planned works:

May 20 and 21

• Engineering work is taking place between Longbridge and Bromsgrove closing some lines.
• Train services between Birmingham New Street & Worcester Shrub Hill / Great Malvern / Hereford will start from / terminate at Birmingham Snow Hill and will not call at University and Bromsgrove.
• Trains between Lichfield Trent Valley / Four Oaks and Bromsgrove / Redditch will run between Lichfield Trent Valley / Four Oaks / Birmingham New Street and Longbridge only.
• Rail replacement buses will operate between Longbridge and Bromsgrove / Droitwich Spa / Redditch.

May 31

The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union has announced industrial action on May 31. As a result, services will not operate on that day.

June 3 and 4

• Buses will replace trains between Great Malvern and Hereford on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 June. This will affect West Midlands Railway between Birmingham New Street / Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford.
• If you are travelling with Great Western Railway, you can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner
• If you are travelling with West Midlands Railway, these changes are not currently shown in the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner, please check back nearer to the time of travel.
• On June 3, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union has announced industrial action and services will not operate on that day. There might be limited services the next day on June 4.

June 5-8

• There will be an amended service 23:22 Birmingham NewStreet to Hednesford service from Monday 5 to Thursday 8 June.
• Engineering work is taking place between Walsall and Hednesford, closing some lines.
• The 23:22 Birmingham New Street to Hednesford service will terminate at Walsall (at 23:48).
• A rail replacement bus service will operate departing from Walsall at 23:59, Bloxwich at 00:10, Bloxwich North at 00:13, Landywood at 00:24, Cannock at 00:36, arriving at Hednesford at 00:45.

June 11

• Engineering work is taking place between Bescot Stadium and Stafford, closing some lines on June 11.
• Train services between Wolverhampton / Birmingham International / Birmingham New Street and Walsall / Rugeley Trent Valley will run between Wolverhampton / Birmingham International / Birmingham New Street and Tame Bridge Parkway only.
• Rail replacement buses will operate between Tame Bridge Parkway and Walsall / Rugeley Trent Valley.

June 12 and 13

• Engineering work is taking place between Great Malvern and Hereford, closing some lines.
• The 9pm Birmingham New Street to Hereford service will terminate at Great Malvern (at 10pm). Customers can travel on the 10.28 pm Great Malvern to Hereford Great Western Railway service - calling at Colwall at 10.34pm, Ledbury at 10:42, arriving at Hereford at 10.58pm.

June 17 and 18

• Engineering work is taking place between Birmingham International and Wolverhampton, closing some lines on June 17 and 18.
• Avanti West Coast: More information on Avanti West Coast services can be found here.
• CrossCountry: Trains will not call at Wolverhampton. You can use London Northwestern Railway / West Midlands Railway rail replacement buses will run between Stafford and Wolverhampton.
• London Northwestern Railway / West Midlands Railway: Train services between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury will run between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury only. You are advised to travel on other services between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
• Trains between Wolverhampton and Walsall will run between Birmingham New Street and Walsall only - to a special timetable at a reduced level of frequency (local stopping train services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street will not run).
• Rail replacement buses will operate between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street - calling at all intermediate stations.
• Transport for Wales: No trains will run between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. You can use your tickets on other operator’s train / bus services.

June 21 to June 22

• Engineering work is taking place between Walsall and Hednesford, closing some lines from June 21 to June 22.
• The 23:22 Birmingham New Street to Hednesford service will terminate at Walsall (at 23:48). A rail replacement bus service will operate departing from Walsall at 23:59, Bloxwich at 00:10, Bloxwich North at 00:13, Landywood at 00:24, Cannock at 00:36, arriving at Hednesford at 00:45.

June 24 and 25

Engineering work is taking place between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton, closing some lines on June 24 and 25.

• Avanti West Coast: Train services between London Euston and Wolverhampton will be diverted to run via Aston instead of via Dudley Port. Train services between London Euston and Edinburgh will not call at Birmingham New Street, and will also be diverted to run via Aston instead of via Dudley Port.
• CrossCountry: Services will not call at Wolverhampton. If you are travelling to / from Wolverhampton you should travel on diverted Avanti West Coast or West Midlands Railway services.
• Transport for Wales: Buses replace trains between Birmingham International and Wolverhampton.

• London Northwestern Railway: Train services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street will run between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street and between Birmingham New Street and Stafford only and will arrive later at / depart earlier from Birmingham New Street. Rail replacement buses will operate between Crewe and Stafford.
• Trains between Birmingham New Street and Crewe (via Stoke-on-Trent) will run between Stafford and Crewe only. You are advised to travel on other services between Birmingham New Street / Wolverhampton and Stafford.
• West Midlands Railway: Train services between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury will run between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury only. You are advised to travel on other services between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
• Trains between Wolverhampton and Walsall will run between Birmingham New Street and Walsall only - to a special timetable at a reduced level of frequency (local stopping train services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street will not run).
• Rail replacement buses will operate between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street - calling at all intermediate stations.

You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner. There will be rail replacement buses in some instances but they might be busier than usual.

You can check the train companies Avanti West Coast, Cross Country, London Northwestern Railway, West Midlands Railway and Transport for Wales websites for their timetable changes.