The Heart of England benefits from a comprehensive, reliable and well-integrated transport network, which affords easy commuting within the region, and the effective movement of people and goods through and from the region to other UK and international destinations
Unique location at the centre of the national road and rail network means that the Heart of England is the most accessible region in the UK.
82% of the UK’s population is within a 150 mile (240 km) drive of central Birmingham.
All major cities and ports in England are within a 5 hour truck drive of Birmingham.
The Hams Hall Channel Tunnel freight terminal provides direct access to the mainland European rail network.
Air connections
Birmingham International Airport, located 6 miles (10 km) to the East of Birmingham City Centre, is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK, handling over 9.6 million passengers in 2008. The airport is the second largest UK airport outside London, the third largest for charter traffic, and the UK's sixth largest overall. There has been a strong growth of direct scheduled services, offering more than 140 direct business and leisure routes, plus a further 280 one-stop global destinations. Second to London Heathrow, Birmingham International has more business travellers than any other UK airport.
Birmingham International is one of the most accessible airports in Europe. It is located near to the hub of the UK motorway network and is the only airport in the country with a mainline railway station, providing direct services to central London and the rest of the country.
Road connections
The Heart of England is at the hub of the UK motorway network. Running through the region are the M40 and the M6/M1 (southbound) to London and the South West, the M6 (northbound) to Manchester, the north-west of England and Scotland, the M69/M1 (northbound) to the north-east of England, and the M5 (southbound) to Bristol and the south-west of England. The West Midlands conurbation itself lies within an orbital route, comprising the M42 and sections of the M5 and M6.
The region is also home to the UK’s first toll motorway, the 27 mile M6 Toll, which connects the M6 to the M42 and offers an alternative route across the region from the north-west to the south-east, avoiding the central conurbation and providing reliably shorter journey times.
Rail connections
The Heart of England benefits from excellent mainline rail connections. The West Coast mainline, which runs from London to the north-west and Scotland, passes through Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
Birmingham New Street station is the UK’s main national rail interchange. It has more direct connections than any other station in the UK and is the busiest station in Europe, dealing with 1,250 passenger trains per day, equating to more than 28 million passengers each year.
Birmingham International station serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. Trains to London can take as little as 68 minutes, and the journey time to Birmingham New Street is just 10 minutes.
The regional rail network is focused on Birmingham and the West Midlands conurbation. There are over 60 million passenger journeys each year on the network, with over 1,300 trains a day, serving 154 stations.
Midland Metro is a state of the art, electrically powered light rail system that provides safe, comfortable, smooth and quick transport for more than 5.2 million passengers a year.
Travel times from Birmingham city centre
| City | Road | Rail (fastest times) | Distance |
Birmingham International Station (for Airport) | 21 minutes | 8 minutes | 10 miles/16 km |
| Bristol | 1 hour 35 minutes | 1 hour 26 minutes | 87 miles/140 km |
| Cardiff | 2 hours 15 minutes | 2 hours | 111 miles/178 km |
| Edinburgh | 5 hours 10 minutes | 4 hours 2 minutes | 292 miles/471 km |
| Glasgow | 4 hours 55 minutes | 3 hours 57 minutes | 290 miles/467 km |
| Leeds | 2 hours 10 minutes | 1 hour 59 minutes | 118 miles/190 km |
| London | 2 hours 30 minutes | 1 hour 12 minutes | 119 miles/191 km |
| Manchester | 1 hour 50 minutes | 1 hour 29 minutes | 87 miles/150 km |
| Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 4 hours 10 minutes | 3 hours 10 minutes | 207 miles/334 km |
| Nottingham | 1 hour 10 minutes | 1 hour 16 minutes | 51 miles/82 km |
| Plymouth | 3 hours 35 minutes | 3 hours 36 minutes | 205 miles/331 km |
| Sheffield | 1 hour 45 minutes | 1 hour 14 minutes | 90 miles/145 km |
| Southampton | 2 hours 40 minutes | 2 hours 36 minutes | 134 miles/215 km |
(AA and Network Rail)
Average drive times from Birmingham to UK ports/airports
| Location | Drive Time | Distance |
| Dover | 3 hours 30 minutes | 204 miles/328 km |
| Felixstowe | 3 hours 15 minutes | 165 miles/266 km |
| Hull | 2 hours 30 minutes | 138 miles/222 km |
| Liverpool | 1 hour 50 minutes | 98 miles/157 km |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2 hours 10 minutes | 106 miles/171 km |
| Manchester Airport | 1 hour 35 minutes | 80 miles/129 km |
| Tilbury | 2 hours 35 minutes | 143 miles/231 km |
(AA)
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