Birmingham stations gear up for the festive season

Birmingham’s famous German Christmas market opens this weekend, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to use the train to visit it in the build up to Christmas.

The annual attraction is a firm favourite in the city’s calendar of events, drawing millions of visitors each year. Birmingham New Street - along with Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill - plays a vital role in getting people safely in and out of the city centre.

In 2024, over nine million passengers used Birmingham New Street during the Christmas market season and this year the region’s railway is once again ready to help passengers get to and from the the city centre for festivities and celebrations.

Along with Birmingham City Council, British Transport Police and train operators, Birmingham New Street's team has planned for the market with clear plans in place to safely manage large crowds.

There are also three golden rules for passengers planning to travel to and from the German market by train:

• Plan your journey and check before you travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk
• Know your last few trains and don’t rely on the last service to get home – it will be extremely busy
• Respect staff and other travellers during the season of goodwill

Patrick Power, head of stations and passenger experience for Network Rail’s Central route, said “We love this time of the year and seeing the city centre bustling with people. While we’re ready to welcome everyone to the station, we ask passengers to follow our three golden rules - plan your journey, know your last trains, and respect staff and each other - to help make journeys as smooth as possible.

“We will have extra staff across the station to provide advice and information and to help keep passengers safe and can't wait to welcome people throughout the festive season.”

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors into Birmingham’s city centre this Christmas. With plenty of festive events going on in the city, we want to remind passengers that services will be busy in the run up to Christmas, so please plan your journey in advance and be kind to staff and your fellow passengers.”

Michael Stewart, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said: "The build up to the Christmas period is always wonderful for Birmingham with many of our customers flocking to the city to enjoy the festivities. As more people head to Birmingham than usual during the festive period, stations and trains will be busier so please plan your journeys in advance of travelling."

Thanks to an ongoing partnership between Network Rail and Birmingham City Council, a dedicated anti-social behaviour team will be in place in the station, together with increased support from British Transport Police and St John Ambulance volunteers. Train operators will be strengthening some services to help keep passengers on the move.

The Christmas market and festive period can mean trains and platforms are much busier at Birmingham New Street and queuing systems may be used at busy times to safely allow people to board trains home.

To plan journeys in advance and find out train times home passengers should check www.nationalrail.co.uk.

For more information on the Frankfurt Christmas market visit www.thebfcm.co.uk