Birmingham New Street is one of the UK’s busiest railway stations and a key arrival point for business travellers, project teams, and relocating employees. Thanks to its central location and wide range of connections, many Situ guests will pass through the station at some point during their stay.
For first-time visitors, New Street can feel confusing. The station uses a system of Red, Green, and Blue Lounges, and platforms are divided into lettered sections. With limited time between meetings or after a long journey, knowing how the station works can make all the difference.
This guide shares practical, time-saving advice to help you move through Birmingham New Street confidently and reach your serviced accommodation without unnecessary delays.
- Purchasing a ticket online and in person
- What are the Red, Green and Blue Lounges in Birmingham New Street station?
- Birmingham New Street station platforms (and what does ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ mean?)
- How to make connecting journeys in Birmingham New Street
- Food, coffee, and short breaks between trains
- Serviced accommodation close to Birmingham New Street
- Conclusion
Purchasing a ticket online and in person
The first step of your journey will of course be purchasing a ticket. Today, it’s easiest to buy a train ticket online as you can reserve a seat. This is something you will be grateful for on longer journeys. You can also track your journey live in most cases. Trainline is an obvious choice for ticket purchasing with an easy-to-use app. Or you can purchase tickets directly through the train service provider’s website which can sometimes give cheaper costs. Although this can add some difficulty if your journey requires multiple trains provided by different providers.
If you want to purchase your ticket in person, you can do so either from ticket machines; these can be found near any entrance to the station, or within the main ticket office behind the customer information screens; or from the ticket office which is open between 5:15am to 11:00pm Monday to Saturday, or 8:00am to 11:00pm on Sundays.
What are the Red, Green and Blue Lounges in Birmingham New Street station?
The Birmingham New Street station layout can be somewhat confusing. In simple terms, it is divided into four sections. There is the ground floor shopping area, and the Red, Green (formerly Yellow) and Blue Lounges. These lounges serve as waiting areas for certain platforms. Platforms 1 to 5 are accessed via the Blue Lounge, and platforms 6 to 12 are accessed via the Green Lounge. Both lounges will lead you to the ‘a’ end of the platforms. The Red Lounge provides access to any of the New Street platforms and will lead you to the ‘b’ end. It’s best to use this lounge if you are unsure which platform your train will be departing from.
These lounges are usually the main point of confusion for commuters. If you are unsure, the main departure board, located in the centre of New Street on the ground floor, will tell you which lounge you need to enter for your journey. All three lounges contain rest room facilities. Although the shopping options are more limited here than in the main shopping area outside the lounges.
Make sure you are going into the correct lounge, as you will not be able to reuse your ticket to access other areas of the station once you have passed through a gate. This includes the main shopping area outside of the lounges.
National Rail helpfully offers a map of New Street station on their website. Well sign-posted areas within the station also guide visitors effectively.
If you do find yourself in the wrong lounge or need to head back to the main shopping floor, don’t fret. You can ask a member of staff to let you through the gate and they will do so after checking your ticket.
Birmingham New Street station platforms (and what does ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ mean?)
There are 12 platforms in Birmingham New Street station. All of these platforms are separated out into two sections, ‘a’ and ‘b’, while platform 4 is separated into three sections: ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’. These sections correspond to the end of the platform you are standing on.
Platforms are split into lettered sections due to the size of the train compared to the length of the platform. Some trains are large and will require the entire length of the platform (both the ‘a’ and ‘b’ ends), so the platform on your ticket may not have a letter. While others have less carriages and thus can occupy half the platform, for instance, the ‘a’ section, whilst another train can depart from the ‘b’ section at the same time, and so this section will be noted on your ticket with your platform number.
Because of this, it is important that you wait at the correct platform end. You don’t want to be standing on platform 11a waiting for the train to Edinburgh and accidentally end up on 11b direct to Plymouth. Spotting which end of the platform you are on can be a bit tricky as the signs are not that obvious, but there will be indicators along the roof of the platform signposting the ‘a’ or ‘b’ end of the platform, you just need to look out for them.
How to make connecting journeys in Birmingham New Street
If you have separate tickets for your journey, upon your arrival into New Street you can exit through any gate using your ticket to Birmingham and re-enter a lounge using the ticket for your next departure. If you do not have a separate ticket, it’s best to leave your platform from the ‘b’ end of the platform if you need to make a connecting train within New Street, as your train ticket will only open one set of gates. This is because the ‘b’ end leads to the Red Lounge and allows for access to all platforms without having to go through any other gates.
Food, coffee, and short breaks between trains
If you have a short wait between services, Birmingham New Street offers practical options to occupy your time.
Grand Central, the shopping centre above the station, includes:
- Coffee shops suitable for catching up on emails.
- Food outlets for takeaway meals or short stops.
- A pharmacy and convenience retailers.
Most business travellers find everything they need within the station itself, though, for longer gaps, New Street is conveniently located in the centre of Birmingham. So, if you find yourself with a layover, you can head into town and explore.
Serviced accommodation close to Birmingham New Street
Staying close to Birmingham New Street can significantly reduce travel time, particularly for early starts or frequent rail journeys.
Situ offers a range of serviced apartments within easy reach of the station, providing:
- Space to work and unwind.
- Fully equipped kitchens for longer stays.
- Consistency and comfort for business travel and relocation programmes.
You can explore our top five serviced accommodation options near Birmingham New Street, or browse our full range of Birmingham serviced apartments to find a solution that suits your stay.
If you are planning a longer assignment or managing accommodation for a team, our experts are happy to advise.
Conclusion
Birmingham New Street becomes much easier to navigate once you understand how the lounges and platform sections work. When in doubt, the Red Lounge provides flexibility, and station staff are always available to help.
With the right preparation – and serviced accommodation close by – travelling through Birmingham can be efficient, straightforward, and far less stressful.
If you have any questions about corporate or relocation accommodation in Birmingham, please get in touch with the Situ team. We are always happy to support your stay.
