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West Midlands Trains

West Midlands Trains runs services across the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and into the Home Counties towards London.

West Midlands Trains is a company that runs under two different brands, depending on the route that you’re travelling on.

Across the two brands, they operate 197 trains and stop at 178 different stations. Out of these stations, they’re in charge of 146 of them.

These brands are West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway. The former brand is used on local services around the West Midlands and to Hereford/Shrewsbury, while the latter is used on trains to and from London, as well as longer-distance services to and from Crewe and Liverpool.

West Midlands Trains runs some slower trains direct to London, in competition with Avanti West Coast (and Chiltern Railways). This means that you can find some bargains if you know where to look.

Single fares from Crewe to London Euston start at £10.20, while Birmingham New Street to London Euston starts at £8.00. Just look for the ‘snail’ symbol and the West Midlands Trains logo when you’re searching on the Railsmartr website:

The cheap fares extend far beyond just the West Midlands to London, though. Thanks to collaboration with Southern trains, you can grab a bargain for trips like Liverpool to Brighton if you don’t mind a slower journey. You can find out more with our guide to cheap fares.

On board services

WIFI

Free WiFi is available on all West Midlands Trains services.

Bikes

You don’t need to make a reservation, and every train has space for at least one bike. Non-folding bikes aren’t allowed on trains arriving in London Euston between 07:00 and 09:59 or departing between 16:00 and 18:59 on weekdays. There’s more information in our dedicated guide to travelling with bikes.

Pets

Up to two dogs, cats or other small domestic animals can travel free.

Special Assistance

You can find out more about Passenger Assist on our dedicated page.

Standard Class

If you’re travelling on London Northwestern Railway, then you’ll likely be using a Class 350 ‘Desiro‘ train.

They have four carriages and can run in pairs or triples to form a 12-carriage train. Most of them have seating in a 2+2 formation with power outlets, but some have 3+2 seating (and no outlets). The good news is that the ones with 3+2 seating will be soon replaced with brand-new trains.

West Midlands Railway runs a number of different fleets. If you’re travelling on services to Worcester, Hereford or Stratford-upon-Avon, you’ll get a Class 172 ‘Turbostar. They have two or three carriages and recently refurbished interiors with power sockets.

You’ll also find brand-new diesel trains on the routes to Hereford and Shrewsbury. These are being introduced at the time of writing (October 2023).

Information about routes

London Northwestern Railway runs on the following routes:

  • London Euston to Crewe (via the Trent Valley)
  • London Euston to Tring/Milton Keynes Central/Birmingham New Street
  • Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street
  • Birmingham New Street to Crewe (via Stoke-on-Trent)
  • Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey
  • Bletchley to Bedford.

It’s worth noting that Bletchley to Bedford is being operated by buses during Off-Peak times at the time of writing (November 2023).

Meanwhile, you’ll find West Midlands Railway running these trains:

  • Snow Hill Lines (Stratford-upon-Avon/Dorridge to Stourbridge/Worcester)
  • Birmingham New Street to Hereford
  • Cross-City Line (Bromsgrove/Redditch to Lichfield Trent Valley)
  • Birmingham International to Rugeley Trent Valley
  • Walsall to Wolverhampton
  • Leamington Spa to Nuneaton
  • Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury
  • Stourbridge Town Shuttle.