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Trains from Birmingham to London

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Avanti West Coast
Chiltern Railways

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  3. Birmingham to London

Trains to London from Birmingham

It takes an average of 2h 5m to travel from Birmingham to London by train, over a distance of around 101 miles (163 km). There are normally 147 trains per day travelling from Birmingham to London and tickets for this journey start from £6.40 when you book in advance.

First train

04:15

Last train

23:21

Departure stationBirmingham
Arrival stationLondon
Journey time

From 1h 19m

Distance

101 miles (163 km)

Frequency

147 trains per day

Changes

Direct trains available

Price

From £6.40

Train operators

Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways

About the train journey from Birmingham to London

Want to travel from Birmingham to London by train? Start your journey with us.

The train from Birmingham to London usually takes 2 hours 5 minutes on average to travel 101 miles (163 km), although the quickest services can take as little as 1 hour 19 minutes. You can expect to find 147 trains per day running on this popular route. Good news! There are direct trains available to London, so you can just make yourself comfortable as soon as you board the train and just enjoy the journey. Hop on a train operated by either Avanti West Coast or Chiltern Railways to reach your destination in no time. These train companies are the main operators of services on this route and run modern comfortable trains to make your journey as relaxing as possible.

You can save money on train tickets from Birmingham to London if you book in advance, as tickets usually start from £6.40. You can also travel Off-Peak – tickets are usually cheaper during quieter times on weekdays and weekends – or get a Railcard and save up to 1/3 on eligible journeys for a whole year. Use our Journey Planner at the top of the page to compare ticket prices and get the cheapest fares.

If you want to know more about the journey, scroll up for timetables and live train times, or keep reading for tips on finding cheap tickets and FAQs. Want to go straight to booking? Start a search with us today!

What do people frequently ask about the train journey from Birmingham to London?

Want to know more about your journey from Birmingham to London? We've compiled some of the most frequently asked questions by our customers to help you plan your journey.

How do I travel from Birmingham to London?

You can get from Birmingham to London by train in 2 hours and 5 minutes on average, with the fastest journeys taking just 1 hour and 19 minutes. You can also take the bus from Birmingham to London. Check out our Journey Planner for more details.

How long does the train from Birmingham to London take?

The average journey time by train between Birmingham and London is 2 hours and 5 minutes, with around 147 trains per day running on this route. The journey time may be longer on weekends and holidays, so use our Journey Planner on this page to search for a specific travel date.

How much does the train from Birmingham to London cost?

Train tickets from Birmingham to London can start from as little as £6.40 when you book in advance and are usually more expensive when purchased on the day. Prices can also vary depending on the time of day, route and class you book.

What's the fastest journey time between Birmingham and London by train?

The fastest journey time by train from Birmingham to London is 1 hour and 19 minutes.

How do I find cheap train tickets from Birmingham to London?

As most UK train companies increase their prices as the departure date approaches, our Trainline team of experts have put together these tips to help you find the cheapest tickets.

1. Book in advance

Train tickets from Birmingham to London start at £6.40§ one way for a Standard Class ticket if you book in advance. UK train companies usually release Advance tickets up to 12 weeks ahead of time, and these can be cheaper than tickets bought on the day of travel.

2. Sign up to Ticket Alert

If you're planning a trip more than 12 weeks ahead, sign up to our Ticket Alert to get notified when Advance tickets are released for your travel date.

3. Use a Railcard

National Railcards offer a 1/3 off eligible train tickets in the UK and can be a great investment if you travel throughout the year. Buy one with us and you'll be able to store it digitally in our app, so you'll always have it on your travels.

4. Book split tickets

Our handy feature SplitSave will 'split' your train journey into multiple tickets, which can be much cheaper than buying a single ticket. Find out more about split tickets.

5. Travel Off-Peak

If you can be flexible with your travel times, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets are usually cheaper in the UK. Generally, Off-Peak times are any time at weekends and outside of Monday to Friday morning and evening rush hours.

6. Consider a Season Ticket

Best for commuters, if you catch a train on the same route more than 3 times per week, you could save money with a Season Ticket. With annual, monthly, weekly and flexi options available, find out if a Season Ticket for Birmingham to London is right for you.

For more money-saving tips on UK and European train travel, read our cheap train tickets guide.

§Advance adult single fare. Excludes booking fee. Prices seen by Trainline customers in the last 30 days. Availability limited.

Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway and Chiltern Railways trains from Birmingham to London

Compare the different train operators which serve the Birmingham–London route.

Avanti West Coast

Avanti West Coast is one of the best-known high-speed rail companies in the UK, having operated on Britain’s West Coast Main Line since 2019.

Avanti’s fleet of recently refurbished Pendolino trains operate on the route between Birmingham and London. These trains famously lean into the curves on the tracks, allowing a higher top speed of 125mph.

Avanti offers a range of onboard services, including an onboard shop serving drinks and snacks, as well as three different ticket classes. First Class ticket holders enjoy at-table food and drink service.

Avanti trains from Birmingham to London depart from Birmingham New Street station and arrive at London Euston station.

Learn more about Avanti West Coast trains.

London Northwestern Railway

Operated by West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern Railway operates on the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and London. Certain services also stretch further north to Crewe and Liverpool.

If you’re looking for cheap tickets between Birmingham and London, book in advance and at off-peak times and you can even find tickets below £10.

London Northwestern Railway trains from Birmingham to London depart from Birmingham New Street and arrive at London Euston station.

Learn more about London Northwestern Railway trains.

Chiltern Railways

Chiltern Railways operates on the Chiltern Main Line between Birmingham and London. It also serves popular routes between London and Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Aylesbury.

A great option for cheap train tickets between Birmingham and London, Chiltern Railways offers train tickets under £10 if you book in advance and travel at off-peak times.

Chiltern Railways trains from Birmingham to London depart from Birmingham Moor Street station (a 10-minute walk from New Street station) and arrive at London Marylebone station.

Learn more about Chiltern Railways trains.

Avanti West Coast train classes

If you opt for an Avanti West Coast train, you’ll have the option of upgrading your ticket from Standard to Standard Premium or First Class.

Standard Class

Enjoy these onboard services in Avanti West Coast’s Standard class:

  • Free WiFi
  • Access to onboard shop for food and drink purchases
  • Refurbished seats and tables
  • Plug sockets at selected table and window seats

Standard Premium Class

If you choose to upgrade to Standard Premium, you’ll enjoy these additional amenities:

  • Roomier seats
  • A guaranteed table at your seat
  • Plug sockets at every window seat

First Class

In addition to all the above, First Class offers:

  • At-seat service
  • Complimentary food and drink on board
  • Access to First Class lounges at stations

London Northwestern Railway train classes

There are only Standard class tickets available on London Northwestern Railway services.

Standard Class

When you travel on London Northwestern Railway, you can make use of the following onboard amenities:

Free WiFi✔
Comfortable seating✔
Seat-back table at every seat✔

Chiltern Railways train classes

Chiltern Railways trains offer only Standard class seating across the network.

Standard Class

When travelling on Chiltern Railways, you can enjoy the following onboard services:

Free WiFi✔
Comfortable seating✔
Seat-back table at every seat✔

Onboard services from Birmingham to London

Compare here the onboard services and policies for each train company operating from Birmingham to London.

Birmingham New Street station guide

Birmingham New Street is the busiest train station in the UK outside London. Here’s how to get there and what you’ll find inside:

How to get to Birmingham New Street

You’ll find Birmingham New Street right in the centre of Birmingham. It’s easily accessible on foot and by public transport.

  • Walk: From Cathedral Square walk south for 5 mins.
  • Tram: West Midlands Metro runs a regular tram service linking Edgbaston and Wolverhampton, which runs through the centre of Birmingham. For Birmingham New Street station, get off at Grand Central tram stop.
  • Bus: There are 12 bus stops close to New Street station served by buses coming from across the West Midlands. These buses are operated by Transport for West Midlands. From any of these bus stops, it’s less than a 5-minute walk to the southern or eastern entrances to the station.

Station facilities at Birmingham New Street

Birmingham New Street station is located just underneath the Grand Central shopping centre. You won’t run out of options for shopping, food and drink. In the station itself, you’ll also find:

  • Avanti West Coast First Class lounge
  • Taxi rank (on Station Street)
  • Bike storage
  • Public WiFi
  • Accessible toilets (with baby-changing facilities)
  • Step-free access to all platforms
  • ATM
  • Food and drink
  • Shops
  • Waiting rooms

Birmingham Moor Street station guide

Birmingham Moor Street is the second busiest train station in Birmingham. It was first opened in 1909 and has a Grade II listed exterior.

How to get to Birmingham Moor Street

Birmingham Moor Street is located in the city centre, just next to the Bullring shopping centre and a 5-minute walk from Birmingham New Street station.

  • Walk: From Cathedral Square walk 10 minutes south-west.
  • Tram: Both Grand Central and Corporation Street tram stops are within a 5-minute walk of Moor Street station.
  • Bus: There are 20 bus stops within a 5-minute walk of Moor Street station serving roughly 20 bus routes arriving from across the West Midlands. These buses are operated by Transport for West Midlands.

Station facilities at Birmingham Moor Street

Birmingham Moor Street is just across the street from the Bullring shopping centre, which is full of shopping and food and drinks options. In the station itself you’ll find:

  • Taxi rank
  • Bike storage
  • Public WiFi
  • Accessible toilets (with baby-changing facilities)
  • Step-free access to all platforms
  • ATM
  • Food and drink
  • Shops
  • Waiting rooms

Arriving in London

Find out how to get around London after you arrive in London Euston or London Marylebone.

Connections from London Euston

Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway trains from Birmingham arrive at London Euston station. Euston is on the northern edge of Central London and is well served by public transport options:

  • Underground: Head downstairs from the mainline train station to catch the Northern or Victoria lines from Euston Underground station. Euston Square Underground station is 5 minutes away on foot—here you can catch the Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City or Circle lines.
  • Bus: The bus station in front of the station serves 10 bus routes departing in all directions.
  • Taxi: You can catch a black cab from the taxi rank in front of the station.

Connections from London Marylebone

Chiltern Railways trains from Birmingham arrive at London Marylebone station. Marylebone is on the northwest edge of Central London and a 5-minute walk from Baker Street.

  • Underground: You’ll find the entrance to Marylebone’s Underground station on your immediate right as you exit the ticket barriers. From here you can catch Bakerloo line trains. Take the Bakerloo line one stop to Baker Street (or walk) and you can catch Jubilee, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle line trains.
  • Bus: You can catch the 2 and N2 buses at bus stops directly in front of the station entrance, or the 453 on nearby Great Central Street. There are also a further 6 routes available on Marylebone Road.
  • Taxi: There is a taxi rank directly in front of the station.

Using public transport in London

Public transport in London is managed by Transport for London (TfL). Find out how to pay for your journeys in London:

Paying for your TfL journey

While you can buy single and return tickets and paper travelcards from ticket machines in stations, it is more convenient—and often cheaper—to pay for your journey using an Oyster card or using a contactless card.

  • Oyster Cards can be bought from tube stations and in Oyster Ticket Stops (commonly found in newsagents or kiosks). They cost £7 each and can be topped up with credit at ticket machines at tube stations or Oyster Ticket Stops.
  • You can use your contactless bank card or device to pay for journeys.

Touching in and out

On buses and trams in London, you only need to touch in. For all other journey types (Tube, rail, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth Line etc.), you need to touch in with your card at the beginning of your journey and out at the end. If you don’t touch in/out, you’ll be charged a maximum fare.

Where to travel next after London

London is an excellent jumping-off point to explore cities around the South of England... Here are the top destinations:

London to Brighton

London to Oxford

London to Cambridge

London to Bath

London to Bristol

Passenger reviews about this journey

the only thing would like to highlight for asia girl to put our luggage on top of the seats is too challenging. It will be good for floor area to loan or store our luggage.

Soh Sor Hoon2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Was OK, but would be nice if train would depart from Snow Hill station.

Peter Tasi2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Fast & comfortable service

Mrs Pauline Langford2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Our trip from Birmingham to London was excellent. Lovely staff, great breakfast. The return journey was appalling. They announced that there was no catering at all in first class due to staff shortages. The conductor was extremely rude. I went to get something to drink from the buffet and showed my first class ticket. I was then told that I could have a meal deal (value £6.50) but no alcohol. All the first class passengers were outraged. To make matters worse, the conductor was, at this point, sitting down messing around on his mobile phone. So much for staff shortages! He could have easily servedus. The whole experience ruined a special day out for my mother-in-law's 85th birthday. I would appreciate your comments and some form of recompense. Many thanks, Linda Gawthorpe

LINDA GAWTHORPE2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

We booked a super off peak train, which due to the frequency in which they run gave us great options to travel. The train was comfortable and both arrived and departed on time.

Chris2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

An excellent journey

Ms Susan Anderson2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

It was a comfortable journey. Easy transfer from Euston.

Suparna Malhotra2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Much better travelling on the slower train at that time of day. Better than on the faster more expensive trains. I need an excuse to go again.

Elwyn Jones2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

It was fine. Got our reserved seats without a problem. Space for the suitcase. Couple of minutes late into Euston but reason why clearly explained.

JC2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

The train was clean and no anti-social behaviour. Very peaceful

valerie plummer2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Overcrowded.

HR2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

The train was cancelled at short notice. No seat reservation on the earlier train after booking many weeks ahead. Not a good experience for an 80 year old with a small case. I had booked my seat near the luggage rack in 1st class to avoid worrying!

Carol Stokes2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

work on the track between rugby and birmingham, cant be helped. although it wasnt mentioned at the time of booking

Anonymous Customer2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Zero stars is more appropriate. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to get a seat but train was dangerously overcrowded following cancellations at New Street. It was total chaos and in addition, air conditioning was turned up so high it was freezing cold. Worst journey I've ever had!!

CS2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Very expensive and my connecting train was cancelled. Travelling by train is never a great experience but I don't think that's something trainline has control over.

TOM BUCKLE2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Got to new street station train was cancelled had to go to Paddington via Reading so our journey wasn’t what we booked

John Atkins2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

20 minutes late on the way and 25 mins late on the way back

Andy D Bass2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

It was super awesome travel is like I was in the heaven

Yonis Sheikh Ahmed2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

It was just alright, nothing special. The carriages felt dated. The seating was not as comfortable as other train services I have used. The "Quite" coach was far from being quiet, both ways, which I found annoying. On a high note the trains ran on time both ways. Arriving at the station at least half an hour before departure is the key to getting a forward facing, which are snapped up first.

Lady B2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Pleasant, on time. Good value

Customer2 years agoChevronRightChevronRight

Rated 3.6 / 5. Showing 20 out of 91 reviews.

Tips and tricks from our Trainline team

We love helping our customers find inspiration for their next train journey. Discover some travel stories written based on our employees' experiences.

Birmingham to London on the speedy Avanti West Coast service

I took the 16:50 train from Birmingham New Street to London Euston on Saturday 19 October 2019. The service called at Birmingham International, Coventry, Rugby and London Euston.

Departing from Birmingham New Street

Since the completion of its redevelopment in 2015, Birmingham New Street has become one of the most modern and impressive train stations in the country. As you approach the entrance, the station’s undulating metal roof is striking. There is a huge range of food outlets inside the station – I grabbed some food from LEON before departing. The upper concourse of the station is a buzzing hive of over 60 outlets and restaurants, and even connects to the Bullring shopping centre connects via the LinkStreet tunnel. The Bullring is a must-visit attraction in Birmingham, if not for the dizzying number of shops, then just to get a glimpse of the striking building design (it’s another excellent piece of modern architecture) and its famous bronze bull sculpture.

Boarding the Pendolino train

The train I took was the “Blackpool Belle” Pendolino train. The city’s crest was emblazoned on the side of the train. The Blackpool Belle Pendolinos were commissioned as part of Avanti West Coast's introduction of direct services to Blackpool. Its name is a homage to the service that took Lancashire workers to Blackpool for Saturday night dances from the 1930s to 1960s - immortalised in the 1993 song “Blackpool Belle” by the Houghton Weavers.

I had a seat right at the back of the train in Carriage A, the quiet carriage. This made for a pleasant and relaxing journey.

The on-board service

As I was in Standard Class, I didn’t benefit from the services afforded to First Class passengers. However, I did have access to the free on-board WiFi connection and Avanti West Coast’s own entertainment platform, Avanti Media. The WiFi connection was a bit slow but otherwise serviceable.

The onboard food carriage was located in Carriage C. There were loads of food options on offer, including hot eats, cold eats, snacks, chocolates, hot drinks and alcohol. Prices are higher than what you’d find in a high-street store, but not astronomical. A meal deal is £5.50 (sandwich, drink and a snack). Hot eats prices range from £2.60 for porridge to £4.20 for a chicken ciabatta; cold eats from £3.30 to £4.00; and hot drinks from £2.00 to £2.60. There are also some interesting alcohol choices, including craft beers, Pimm’s and prosecco.

The train journey itself

In terms of scenery, the journey isn’t particularly inspiring. There are a few interesting bits, though. As you leave New Street you get a good view of the Birmingham city skyline. There is also some pleasant countryside between Rugby and London, and as you approach Euston – about five minutes from the station – you'll see Wembley Football Stadium in the distance. I arrived at Euston slightly late due to some delays from bad weather.

Freddie’s top tip

Reserve a seat in advance. I reserved a forward-facing window seat in the quiet carriage which made for a very pleasant journey. All the information on my seat reservation was on my mobile ticket, which told me my carriage and seat number.

Find out more information about how to buy cheap train tickets to London.

About Freddie

Freddie, a former Trainline employee, chose to share their experience of the journey between Birmingham and London.

† Average savings on advance fares booked at least one week before day of travel vs Anytime fares purchased on day of travel. Subject to availability. Excludes coach.

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