Getting from Manchester to Birmingham
· Updated · BootsnAll
Manchester and Birmingham are Britain's second and third cities depending on who you ask and how you count, and the two have been arguing about it for a century. They are 80 miles apart, both have their own airports, and moving between them is easy.
Trains from Manchester to Birmingham
The direct run takes around an hour and a half, from Manchester Piccadilly to Birmingham New Street, and there are usually two or three an hour through the day. It is one of the better connected pairs of cities in the country.
The trains continue south past Birmingham towards Bristol and the south west, which is worth knowing if you are heading further: you may not need to change at all.
On fares, the British system rewards planning and punishes spontaneity. Advance tickets go on sale about twelve weeks out, are tied to one specific train and are the cheapest by a wide margin. Off-Peak is flexible within set hours. Anytime costs whatever it costs.
If you are making more than a couple of journeys in Britain, buy a railcard. A third off for a year, and on a route like this it pays for itself almost immediately. Split ticketing, buying separate tickets for parts of one journey, is legal and frequently cheaper than the through fare.
Use National Rail Enquiries for times and buy direct from the operator to dodge booking fees. Note that Britain's operators are moving into public ownership under Great British Railways through 2026 and 2027, so the name on the train is a moving target while the service is not.
Coaches
National Express and Megabus run the route in about two and a half hours for a good deal less than the train, particularly if you book ahead. Manchester's coach station at Chorlton Street is central, and so is Birmingham's at Digbeth.
On an hour and a half train journey, the coach only makes sense if the fare difference matters to you. Sometimes it does.
Flying, and why not to
Both cities have international airports and there is no sensible scheduled flight between them, because the train does it in ninety minutes. If you are arriving from abroad, the useful thing to know is that both Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport have railway stations attached, so you can land and be on an intercity train within twenty minutes.
Birmingham Airport's station is called Birmingham International, and a short automated people mover connects the terminal to the platforms.
Driving
About an hour and three quarters down the M6, which is one of the busiest and least loved motorways in Britain. There is a toll road, the M6 Toll, around the east of Birmingham that is usually much quieter and costs a few pounds. On a Friday afternoon it is money well spent.
Both city centres have congestion or clean air charging for older vehicles, and parking is expensive in each. The train remains the easy answer.