Where is Birmingham Coach Station?

Birmingham Coach Station is at National Express House, Mill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DD.

Birmingham Coach Station from Moor Street Car Park (October 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

In brief

There has been a bus garage in Digbeth since Midland Red opened one here in 1929. Later to become known as Digbeth Coach Station. and run by National Express. It closed for redevelopment in 2007, and reopened as Birmingham Coach Station in 2009.

Birmingham Coach Station in Digbeth, shortly after it opened (December 2009). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Birmingham Coach Station - history

Birmingham Coach Station can be found between Digbeth, Rea Street, Bradford Street and Mill Lane. With coach services all over the UK, run from the Headquarters of National Express in Birmingham.

The original building was built in 1929 as a bus depot for Midland Red.

It was later converted into Digbeth Coach Station.

The successor company Midland Red West used the coach station as a base for their operations in the Birmingham and Black Country area.

The original station was dark and dingy and was not intended to serve passengers as a coach interchange.

Plans were developed to build a new coach station at Great Charles Street Queensway, as Digbeth was considered by National Express to be an undesirable location.

But by the time the new Bullring was completed, and plans for Eastside to be redeveloped, it was decided to demolish the old structure and build the new coach station on the same site.

Make Architects submitted an application on behalf of National Express and Birmingham City Council in 2006. But this option was abandoned in favour of a competing design by SBS Architects. The final planning application was submitted by October 2007.

The old coach station closed in November 2007 for the redevelopment. During reconstruction National Express used a temporary site at Oxford Street opposite Digbeth High Street.

Birmingham Coach Station was officially reopened in December 2009 by the then England national football team manager Fabio Capello.

Birmingham Coach Station in Digbeth, shortly after it opened (December 2009). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Side entrance to Birmingham Coach Station on Rea Street in Digbeth. Coaches usually leave the forecourt from this side, and there is also a Short Stay Car Park next to The Anchor public house.

Birmingham Coach Station from Rea Street, Digbeth (July 2020). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Birmingham Coach Station interior

If you want to get to London (or any other destination in the UK) by coach, it is best to arrive early in the morning to catch a coach after 7am, it is also cheaper, and you can get to London Victoria Coach Station in around 2 hours. Note that if you come back in the evening rush hour, it could take about 4 hours to get back to Birmingham. Inside there is a couple of shop, and Starbucks Coffee.

Inside Birmingham Coach Station (January 2015). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Coaches at Birmingham Coach Station

National Express is the main operator of Birmingham Coach Station, and you will see many of their flagship coaches here. Other coach operators are permitted to use the coach station as well.

National Express coaches at Birmingham Coach Station (April 2016). Photography by Elliott Brown 

 

National Express coaches at Birmingham Coach Station (September 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown 

 

National Express and Edwards of South Wales coaches at Birmingham Coach Station (November 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown 

 

National Express coaches at Birmingham Coach Station (February 2019). Photography by Elliott Brown 

 

Digbeth Art Project

'a hundred thousand welcomes' by the artist Dave Sherry

Design team collaboration: Glenn Howells Architects, Central Signs, Irish Quarter Partnership and the Ikon Gallery.

'a hundred thousand welcomes' is the English translation of the famous Irish saying 'Caed mile mailte' reflecting the Irish spirit of welcoming and friendliness. It is the first visual artwork for the Irish Quarter. The 10.7m by 7.5m installation made by Central Signs is a new patented fully recycled product G57. The handwriting is Sister Sabina's MBE, chosen from over 70 members of the community.

It is close to the coach station entrance on Bradford Street (for coaches).

a hundred thousand welcomes at Birmingham Coach Station in Digbeth (December 2009). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

'Boundary' by artists Rob Colbourne & Stuart Mugridge

Design team collaboration:
SBS Architects, ACIES, XtraWeld, EDCM and GoringBerry.
The 181m long 'Midland Red' fence spans the perimter of Birmingham Coach Station comprising of 320 steel panels varying in height from 2.2m and rising to 6m is public art with both form and function. The over arching theme taken from the process was one of 'balance and flow' - balancing the identity of the existing communities with the flow of visitors and changing landscape through regeneration.

The fence wraps around Bradford Street from Mill Lane. There is also a section on Rea Street in Digbeth.

Boundary at Birmingham Coach Station in Digbeth (December 2009). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Contact details

Birmingham Coach Station | National Express