We introduced our new timetable on the Snow Hill lines on Sunday 21 May 2023. The changes saw us introduce a more consistent and easier to understand timetable for services between Stratford-upon-Avon – Birmingham Snow Hill - Worcester.
Additionally, we’re in the process of introducing new Class 196 trains to the Leamington Spa – Nuneaton via Coventry line and we're introduced a later last evening service on weekdays between Birmingham New Street – Hednesford.
PDF timetables can be found on our downloadable timetables page.
Please see a summary of what's changed below.
Stratford-upon-Avon – Birmingham Snow Hill – Worcester (The Snow Hill lines)
All Monday - Saturday train times on this line have changed (Sunday services are unchanged).
Hourly overview of trains on this route
| Service | Calling Pattern |
|---|---|
|
1 x train per hour Kidderminster – Whitlocks End service in each direction |
Kidderminster, Blakedown, Hagley, Stourbridge Junction, Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis, Smethwick Galton Bridge, The Hawthorns, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Small Heath, Tyseley, Spring Road, Hall Green, Yardley Wood, Shirley and Whitlocks End. |
| 1 x train per hour Worcester Foregate Street – Dorridge in each direction | Worcester Foregate Street, Droitwich Spa, Hartlebury, Kidderminster, Stourbridge Junction, Lye, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Rowley Regis, Langley Green, Smethwick Galton Bridge, The Hawthorns, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Tyseley, Acocks Green, Olton, Solihull, Widney Manor and Dorridge. |
| 1 x train per hour Kidderminster – Stratford-upon-Avon in each direction | Kidderminster, Blakedown, Hagley, Stourbridge Junction, Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis, Smethwick Galton Bridge, The Hawthorns, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Small Heath, Tyseley, Spring Road, Hall Green, Yardley Wood, Shirley, Whitlocks End, Wythall, Earlswood, The Lakes, Wood End, Danzey, Henley-in-Arden, Wootton Wawen, Wilmcote, Stratford Parkway and Stratford-upon-Avon. |
| 1 x train per hour Worcester Foregate Street – Stratford-upon-Avon in each direction |
Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Droitwich Spa, Kidderminster, Stourbridge Junction, Lye, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Rowley Regis, Langley Green, Smethwick Galton Bridge, The Hawthorns, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Small Heath, Acocks Green, Olton, Solihull, Widney Manor, Dorridge, Lapworth, Stratford Parkway and Stratford-upon-Avon. |
*Services to/from Worcester call additionally at Hagley and Blakedown during key school / college travel times.
Key changes for this route:
- A new, more reliable and more consistent timetable that’s easier to understand for customers.
- Additional journey opportunities between Worcester Shrub Hill – Stratford-upon-Avon via Birmingham (1 every hour).
- Increased direct journey opportunities to/from Worcester for Old Hill, Langley Green and Lye.
- An extra train per hour in each direction at Small Heath and Tyseley.
- More consistent 30-minute splits between services at Spring Road, Yardley Wood, Shirley, Whiltocks End, Acocks Green, Solihull, Widney Manor, Olton and Dorridge.
- Consistent hourly services at Lapworth.
- The removal of request stops at Danzey, Wood End, Wootton Wawen and The Lakes (meaning all timetabled trains will call here and you’ll no longer need to let the Senior Conductor know if you wish to board or alight at these stations).
Blakedown and Hagley
- To help our network run more reliably, direct services to/from Worcester no longer call at Blakedown and Hagley throughout the day.
- Direct trains to/from Worcester remain in place during key school / college travel times.
- Both of these stations still receive 2 trains per hour to/from Kidderminster. If you’re travelling towards Worcester from these stations you’re advised to change trains at Kidderminster.
Other Operators
- Chiltern Railways have also introduced a brand-new timetable.
- From Sunday 21 May 2023, Chiltern Railways do not serve Kidderminster. The majority of services start from / terminate at Birmingham Moor Street.
Birmingham – Hereford
Key changes for this route:
- To help introduce changes on the Snow Hill lines, some train times on this route have been subject to small changes.
Birmingham – Rugeley
Key changes for this route:
- The last departure from Birmingham New Street to Hednesford now departs later, at 23.22 instead of 23.00.
Leamington Spa – Nuneaton via Coventry
Key changes for this route:
- New Class 196 trains are gradually being introduced to this line.
Frequently Asked Questions - Snow Hill Lines
The Snow Hill line has suffered from significant performance issues, due to a lack of resilience in the timetable to recover from things such as late running services. The new Snow Hill timetable being introduced in May 2023 is designed to create an evenly spaced, more robust and better performing timetable and we think our customers will see a real difference.
All services on the line have been retimed to provide greater operational resilience, intended to deliver a more reliable and punctual service less susceptible to late notice cancellations, stop skipping and terminating early, which we know has happened all too often on the line previously
Based on passenger demand on the line, we have tried to strike a balance between calling at all stations between Birmingham and Stourbridge and semi-fast between Stourbridge and Worcester.
This does mean that a number of existing links have been broken, while potential new links have been created.