Birmingham New Street → Manchester Piccadilly
Live train times from Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly, with around 30 direct services per day and a fastest typical journey of 1h 25m. Operated by Transport for Wales, Avanti West Coast and others. Currently 71.4% of services are running on time today.
Based on the last 31 days of timetable data
Today's performance
30-day performance
Typical calling pattern
Trains from Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly are non-stop on the fastest services, taking 01:25. Most services call at one or two of Wolverhampton, Birmingham International, Coventry. Slow services (02:37 typical) stop at up to 20 intermediate stations.
Which operator is most reliable on this route?
Transport for Wales runs the majority of direct services from Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly. Over the last 30 days, 14.1% of Transport for Wales's services on this route ran on time, with an average delay of 17.2 minutes and a cancellation rate of 9.9%. Avanti West Coast sees lower on-time performance (14.1%) but runs fewer services.
Why take the train?
The straight-line distance from Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly is around 70 miles. By train the journey takes 01:25; the equivalent drive is typically 2h 52m to 3h 48m depending on traffic, plus 30 minutes of city-centre parking. National Rail publishes average CO₂ emissions of ~35g per passenger-km for electric intercity trains — for this route that's roughly 4 kg CO₂ per passenger. The same trip in a petrol car with one occupant emits around 19.2 kg. Two passengers by train equals the per-person footprint of one passenger by car.
Delay Repay
DR30 operators only pay out from 30+ minutes.
Delay Repay for this route
All operators on this route participate in the National Rail Delay Repay scheme. Transport for Wales operates the DR15 scheme (15–29 min: 25%, 30–59 min: 50%, 60+ min: 100%). Claims can be made within 28 days of travel. Use Railly's Delay Repay calculator to check eligibility and pre-fill the operator's claim form.
Travel tips for this route
Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast services from Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly can be busy around 11:00, 14:00, 16:00. Avoid the 11:00, 14:00, 16:00 peak if you can — the 00:00–04:00 services are typically 28% less crowded. Off-peak return tickets are valid on any train after 09:30 on weekdays, all day weekends. The first train is at 06:01 and the last at 23:01. If your train is delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation directly from the operator.