The NEW University Station in Birmingham is NOW OPEN!

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[@user-ck3uu8rj3x]

I left Brum in the 90s. Lived in a few areas including Erdington. This vid tugs at my heartstrings. Thank you Jen.

[@chriskrebill1842]

What a beautiful station! Now if only we coykd start buukding modern stations as cool as that in the US!

[@markstramtrainbuscapades1729]

The seventies Universaty station dates from the opening of the Cross City line in May 1978, as does Five Ways & Longbridge, whilst Selly Oak, Bourneville, Kings Norton & Northfield were all rebuilt in the same style. I occasionally drove the 44 bus!

[@JenOnTheMove]

You may have driven me a few times!

[@masonlawson649]

The original station was opened by William Rogers, the then Transport Secretary in the James Callaghan Labour government. I was at the university at the time and not been back to Birmingham since 1978. It's has changed. It was a run down place when I lived in the City. I hated the city. Not nice.

[@robblake8999]

It is an excellent new station. I agree with you. I'm a student at the Uni and the new canal footbridge will be greatly appreciated! I'm walking on the footbridge in the final shot - don't know how I missed you lol.

[@Squareybee]

Timestamp? Shame you didn't see us to say hi!

[@JenOnTheMove]

We weren't around for _that_ long to be fair! Sorry we missed you!

[@user-sq4xm7bw2q]

@@Squareybeehe said the final shot

[@nigelh4617]

Jeepers, I'm old enough to remember when the original 70s one opened. 😮

[@BenskiBoi]

Yeah you must be quite old but still quite young

[@masonlawson649]

Excellent broadcast Jen. We loved it

[@erinmcgrathejm4985]

Train station/canal intersectivity. Ideal.

[@kiles99]

As someone who graduated from Birmingham about 30 years ago, and regularly used University station back then, the upgrade looks great. I have been watching progress as I occasionally revisit the old place. Selly Oak is a good place to enter the rail network as it has free and ample parking. Great video, and I loved your enthusiasm for the retro liveried unit. Still think you need to visit Avoncliff near Bath to fulfil your love of railways and canals in close proximity.

[@anthonyupton7180]

As a student at the university who walks past this station (and construction site) every day, it's great to see that it's fully open now :) nice video!

[@customtransport2777]

Funny to think I just visited this station about three days ago on my trip to Birmingham before finding out that University had a new station entrance opened

[@AndrewG1989]

University railway station does look lot better than it was before. And West Midlands Railway are soon to introduce the Class 730/0s sometime this year. With the Class 196 already in service.

[@bobsmouth5181]

I cycle pretty often along the canal and saw most of the building stages! Much needed and it looks great. Love the vlog, you're an inspiration :]

[@Sim0nTrains]

Honestly, it was worth the wait seeing the brand new entrances and love how you can go straight onto the canal from the station as well. Sadly I'm currently down south when the new entrances opened today, just one of those things, great video Jen and nice you finally seen that Class 323.

[@JenOnTheMove]

I've been trying to hunt that down for ages!

[@chrisdeacon2000]

I was a student at Birmingham when the old station first opened on the new (back then) cross city line. Nice to see the new part finally open.

[@LemoncloudGT]

06:20 a voyager that’s been doubled up?! That’s rare

[@chrisamies2141]

That is quite a difference. I left the area in 2015 and used that station regularly and while the QE was there and all that, the station was just a couple of platforms and a shed. My 'nearest' station was Selly Oak but University is better connected. Also, back in those days they made nothing of the canal. Glad that's changed too.

[@garybroadhurst3548]

Wow that's a LOT of station! I didn't realise it was so busy, being quite close to the city centre. It's good to see proper future-proofing though, and that must surely be the ONLY station with a direct exit to a canal towpath. I can't think of another.

[@tomwatts703]

I graduated from the uni in December so I was unfortunately too early to use the new station, but it looks great and will make a big difference, I'll have to make a trip back once the 730s are in service so I can see both!

[@JenOnTheMove]

Shame you're not going to get any use from it!

[@Rail_Focus]

Station looks great. Worth the wait.

[@alexdavis5766]

Use this station to go to the QE hospital and although the old station was Accessible, it wasn’t the best. So nice to see the new one is much improved in that respect. Will be there in a few weeks to receive important news that could be life changing in a bad way, so having an easier journey there and back makes a massive difference.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Technically accessible but far from the best is such a common annoyance. I’m glad the trend is towards holistically accessible designs that are also nicer for everyone to use and provide a better flow of passengers :)

[@alexdavis5766]

@@kaitlyn__L it must be a headache for them adapting station refurbishments for stations built back when accessibility was at the bottom of the list of priority and before it was a legal requirement. Adapting current infrastructure that can’t be easily changed or adapted can’t be easy, especially doing it when the station is still in use.

[@yellowzt]

Thanks, Jen for the news of the Station being open. Was there last Monday and was disappointed to not to be able to use the new building and bridge but to see workmen still working behind the safety fencing. As it turns out we hope to be back in the Spring to revisit Winterbourne House & Gardens and I look forward to using the new station then

[@CherylSteele-rt8dj]

Very interesting. Thanks Jen. X

[@ProgRock_]

Many memories jumping on the canal at university station to cycle into the city to Milenium point, it's a massive upgrade from before 🙏

[@JenOnTheMove]

The canal is my favourite way into the city! I do the same thing up here in Manchester too!

[@EdgyNumber1]

Wow!! They've got it opened just in time for the Commonwealth Games!!!

[@DuncanPatterson-qz3om]

I love the noise of the 323s too.

[@anonUK]

There used to be a train station at Fallowfield, Manchester but it was taken out before the area became 100% studentland. There's a station at Oxford St. but that's halfway between the University and St. Peter's Square- and then it's buses or Metrolink down the Oxford/ Wilmslow Road corridor.

[@dasy2k1]

There still are a couple of stations that serve fallowfield. Mauldeth road is probably the most useful

[@anonUK]

@@dasy2k1 That's true but it's still a bit of a walk!

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video Jen, it's nice to see they've finally finished University station. Class 323's are awesome as well and it's always lovely to see 323 221 or as I call it, the glory days 323. :)

[@SamsVlogstrainsmore]

Great vlog Jen. It’s great to see the new part of university station open.

[@davejoey]

Enjoyable video Jen! Also seeing happy, excited Jen makes me happy 😊

[@mysterybiscuits]

I used to live near Selly Oak so have fond memories of the Cross-City Line and the 323s (that sound brings back so many memories). I used University again when I went to the Commonwealth Games, and it really could have done with the new station building having opened by then, as the crossover between morning and afternoon sessions meant that the old building was very busy.

[@ChrisJohnson-te3eg]

Great video. The 323s bring back memories of my youth.. I remember them coming in around 1994 with a mix of old slam door electrics on the line. Moved from Birmingham nearly 20 years ago and the amount of change always seems huge.

[@katied6130]

I love it... Nice an open

[@Anonymoususer_2023]

Very nice station that is located within the University. Still looking forward to seeing the Class 730 3-Car trains coming into service and the Class 196 are very strange trains that looks like a hornet.

[@Theo5550]

Nice video Jen! The new station looks amazing! And congrats on getting 323221 at the end!

[@andyt2510]

Centro liveried 323? Number 44 service via QE? That's really taking me back to the 90's! Especially when the 44 was the first local route to me to get the new fangled low floor buses in 1996 - how can that be 28 years ago?

[@dasy2k1]

Yep these days it's the X21 and X22 busses that stop outside. From town, the X21 goes to selly oak. Then through weoley castle towards newman university Bartley Green The x22 goes via Quainton road and california to Bartley Green via Barnes hill

[@ianhalsall-fox]

As a narrowboater, mainly in the London area it is great to have easy access to railway stations.

[@shazrahman8556]

I regularly get the cross city line as I live near longbridge. I thought university station would never open!

[@dasy2k1]

I used to joke that it may finally open in time for the commonwealth games (in Australia)

[@JenOnTheMove]

I was starting to feel the same too!

[@dashcamexplorationuk1692]

I used to use this station quite a bit i like the changes weirdly enough i went through there a couple months ago, you sure you weren't tempted to take those signs and show Bryn, i loved the video as always Jen

[@LKBRICKS1993]

Excellent video enjoyed watching this one.

[@cerysfrost3215]

I spent a lot of time in my last year at Aston researching in the Birmingham uni medical library back in the eighties - I can’t really remember the station, but I just about passed so it ended well 😀

[@JamesTheBell1]

Livery of my childhood too. I went to school on the cross city line for 7 years. I think that livery was changed in about 2007. Originally the doors were green too - they became yellow in about 2002.

[@digitalbread7699]

Jen. Great videos. Idea, Every station in Greater Manchester.

[@airfoxtrot2006]

Excellent video Jen 😊

[@MichaelSebastianTodd]

the University station looks amazing brilliant vlog

[@HyperDaveUK]

Thanks Jen this is on the line I use weekly and I did wonder if you'd go there today. Even though it looks pretty quiet today this station will be very busy at times.

[@JenOnTheMove]

It was a last minute plan to head down!

[@wteff8586]

I love the architecture on this one! Brick is always good and the design is almost giving 1920s but very lught and modern. Finally, a good new station

[@joemercedeschannel196]

I love the new refurb. And I love the 323's sounds as well which you mentioned around 3 times in the video. I'll be sad when they leave as they brung so many childhood memories when I first rode one in 2015 when London Midland was around. Brilliant video

[@JenOnTheMove]

Luckily for me, most of them are coming up here to Manchester!

[@podbabatransport7515]

This is a superb look at the new station Jen. You have covered it really well as always. My daughter works at the station and they have been waiting for it for some time!! Well done. Keep up the good work Jen.

[@Squareybee]

I think we met your daughter! She mentioned you. We had a lovely little chat with her ☺

[@JenOnTheMove]

Yeah, we met her, it was great to say hi again!

[@MrGreatplum]

That’s quite a station building isn’t it? Very grand “ticket hall”. Is it the only railway station that serves a university then? I can think of one station built for a school but not for a university.

[@JenOnTheMove]

I don't believe there are any others

[@mouf725]

Yep it's famously the only railway station to serve a university in Great Britain, as they cheerily told me at my open day (and still love to tell people I think!). However there is also the 'University' stop on the Tyne and Wear Metro which apparently serves the University of Sunderland, but technically it's a metro stop not a National Rail station. Which is the station built for a school btw? Hadn't heard of that!

[@MrGreatplum]

@@mouf725 - I found that there is a university station in Northern Ireland that serves the university of Ulster. The railway station for the school is Christ’s hospital in Sussex (it’s the school I went to.) there’s a video on my channel about it (last but one I think)

[@dgattenb]

wentthere on a railtour .. after we went up the " incline " hauled by a pair of 37s ... and 14 MK1s ..

[@marthaanderson2656]

is the canal entrance / exit set up to accommodate bikes? Might have missed a commute option there. Perhaps other areas of the station and surround are bike friendly. Looks like you had a happy day out. I agree with you that a certain sound of certain trains is evocative

[@JenOnTheMove]

I think you could fit most bikes through those doors tbh

[@MiriamJane101]

That was a quick upload Jen! Great to meet you earlier at Newniversity ❤ we'll miss the 323s in Birmingham so Manchester will have that on us! 💛🩵💚

[@JenOnTheMove]

Great to meet you too! We'll be sure to look after the 323s!

[@ElijahsTransport]

Great video Jen! Also great catch of 323221!

[@WelshTrainspottingYT]

Nice one Jen!

[@ChazSweatshirt]

love this video and you Jen, as usual! also, i wonder whether this might be one of if not the only station in the UK that has an entrance onto a canal?

[@JenOnTheMove]

I can't think of any others off the top of my head

[@dblyth5098]

Jen and her Canal mention count was x 12. 😂😂😂😂

[@gethinblake4826]

Its a lovely new station that I'll enjoy using in the years to come, assuming they fix the small ticket machine at the platform 2 entrance. It was also a nice surprise to see Jen in person, but i must apologise for being the most starstruck I've ever been

[@JenOnTheMove]

Don't worry.. I'm also very socially awkward in person! Still getting the hang of people recognising me!

[@Bluemorpho_90]

Was that a fabled double cross country voyager?? Sometimes awful comes in twos

[@ccityplanner1217]

Before Worcestershire Parkway opened I used to love it when the train from Cardiff left Cheltenham & said "the next station is University" & everyone would be so confused. I would've called the station Metchley.

[@harrierjames7727]

I'm not saying it's not an improvement for that station and it might just be that it was quiet when filmed... But my goodness it looks baron. Just the standard seating, drab white walls and nothing to get enthused about. But at least it's not a cookie cutter ✌️

[@bobsrailrelics]

Don't tell me you weren't tempted to walk off with one of those signs. Or a 323. Great looking new station.

[@Squareybee]

😂 She'd be in trouble with me because we would struggle to find a space in the flat!

[@StarbitTrainspots]

We need more trains with sounds like the 323’s

[@AlexanderBrassington]

one thing I've noticed about these new stations is that the architectural style and choices of signage, paint, etc seem to heavily reflect the toc who operate it. I wonder how this would fit in with other stations in say 10 years time

[@mouf725]

Yeah you're right. I'm currently a UoB student myself and as the construction was progressing I did have doubts about how much might need to change in the (probable) event of a change of operator sometime in the future. However I found out that in the case of West Midlands Railway operating the Birmingham suburban lines as a separate entity to their London Northwestern operations, in order to faciliate a future devolution of the suburban rail lines to the WMCA. The hexagonal logo that has been designed for it (which I think is supposed to be a combo of M on top of W i.e. 'West Midlands') was also deliberately designed to be used on all modes of transport in Birmingham as another aspiration towards having a London-style system, with its very familiar roundel seen everywhere - so orange for trains, red for buses, blue for the Metro, and green for the cycle hire. So all of this means that hopefully in the future we can look forward to a devolved rail network for Birmingham which retains this iconic branding, so no drastic changes are needed!

[@jacobporrett]

It looks good now and much bigger.

[@dazzlingdaz187]

I went through here on a Voyager yesterday, that could have been me! And yes, it was horrible

[@Thedavidbiodanza]

The frequency on the central section of the Cross City line was every 10 minutes. Is every 15 minutes just the Sunday service or has Birmingham's great Cross City line also suffered the post Covid WFH drop in commuter traffic? TFL says it's traffic is 30% down since the Pandemic. But that aside a great video, covering a station with the thoroughness they should be.

[@JenOnTheMove]

In the week it's an uneven 4 trains an hour now, it hasn't returned to the 10 min frequency pre pandemic yet!

[@hydrogenvshelium6851]

Wait what? I just recorded a full route visual of the X21 and this is the reason of all the people around University station?

[@MerryRaven]

great video! such a shame more connections aren't at Bromsgrove too, what a white elephant that is!

[@knownothing5518]

Some channels are worth turning off the adblockers for. This is definitely one of them!

[@SteamboatWilley]

I was just subjected to an unskippable advert for tampax and really wished I could have blocked it.

[@JenOnTheMove]

@@SteamboatWilley Creators rely on things like ad revenue to fund making videos like this I'm afraid - these videos come with a significant cost to make!

[@SteamboatWilley]

@@JenOnTheMove I appreciate that videos cost money to make (and of course without adverts we wouldn't have a platform at all), but the vast, vast majority of creators (including myself) make zero money from ad revenue; it all goes to Google (KZbin's owners), and there's been a big rise in the amount of advertising on KZbin in the past few years, which is somewhat irritating from the viewer's point of view, especially when the advert in question gives way "too much information".

[@seanbonella]

i really dig her videos

[@garethsmith2250]

Has the vibes of gates open at small station as too much hassle to check all the time @swt trains do that a lot as well

[@kiles99]

It was a Sunday - even New St has the barriers open for most of the day on Sundays.

[@darrenbertram7289]

Great commentary and content as usual, Jen, but did your cameraperson have the DT's? The constant shaking was painful to watch; hope it's just a one off 🙂

[@JenOnTheMove]

The shaky bits are where I'm holding the camera myself... I'm getting out of practice 😂 On these same day edits I don't have as much time to do as much stabilisation in the edit as I usually do

[@alexisdespland4939]

is university the only university in the westmidlands rail service area.

[@HyperDaveUK]

It's the only University to need its own railway station.

[@jappedut9009]

❤❤❤

[@RichardWatt]

Voyagers suck! Once spent a very long and cramped journey on one of those pieces of ****** - couldn't even get a seat for over 4 hours.

[@GodAtum]

shame this wasnt open for the Commonwealth Games! there was soooo many queues

[@alanreader4815]

been years since i been to Birmingham. 2003 was the last time.

[@dasy2k1]

Typical I missed you, this is my local station now

[@JenOnTheMove]

We weren't there for long I'm afraid, was a very impulsive trip!

[@alexisdespland4939]

what is the logic of an exit only set of doors.

[@JenOnTheMove]

Clear passengers from stations easier - there are exit only doors at New Street too

[@VladimirPutinIsGood]

Everyone Love Class 323s Now 👍

[@robbiemorrison7085]

323 best motors

[@LemoncloudGT]

I thought all the 323s had made its way to northern

[@JenOnTheMove]

Not yet, only a couple so far!

[@walterfillingham]

Your in your happy place :)

[@caramelldansen2204]

😊

[@highpath4776]

There is a lot of Jen pointing in this vid. often in two directions with a finger on each hand

[@grahamcroucher5251]

Very peeved about this- last year I drove from Kent to University station acting on information that it would be open and it wasn't. I sent a message to West Midlands trains Customer Services, who merely acknowledged the receipt of my contact (the essence being a simple question was asked- when will it be open?). I find that 90% of the questions I ask various TOCs aren't even answered, or they clearly don't answer the question I actually asked; only what they thought I asked! This is totally unacceptable! Anyway, glad it's open... IMPORTANT QUESTION- HOW MANY TICKET MACHINES WERE THERE? Just the two shown or more (my info is that there are more than 2) thanks!

[@JenOnTheMove]

There were sets on either side, I can't remember exact numbers I'm afraid!

[@grahamcroucher5251]

@@JenOnTheMove thanks for getting back to me, I suspect there were 4 in total, 2 on both sides. I shall hopefully make a successful trip in the near future!

[@JenOnTheMove]

@@grahamcroucher5251 I heard they're also planning on moving the old ones into the new building somewhere too

[@grahamcroucher5251]

@@JenOnTheMove as an aside, they had two machines actually in the University. That was great fun searching the campus to find them, but find them I did!

[@blackcountrytraveller2139]

Next time your in Birmingham I recommend you go after the heritage class 323

[@JenOnTheMove]

It's at the end of this video 🙂

[@blackcountrytraveller2139]

👍

[@garethsmith2250]

Your names list wasn't visible 😢

[@Squareybee]

I can see it?

[@JenOnTheMove]

It's there at the bottom, you weren't zoomed in or anything were you?

[@Roblilley999]

Canals aren't canals unless you shout "CANAL"

[@JenOnTheMove]

This is true. If the only mark that I leave on this world is people shouting "Canallll" whenever they see a canal, I'll be a happy person 🙂

[@discogareth]

Are we all just ignoring and staying silent about the 730 that crept into shot! (Or was it a 196? Surely it’s a 730 on test)

[@John2Ward]

It was a 196/197. The lights and gangway give it away.

[@discogareth]

@@John2Ward I didn’t think any of the 196s passed through University. But I can see the differences now between 196 and 730.

[@dasy2k1]

​@@discogareththey pass through regularly now. Replaced the 170s on the New St-Hereford service

[@AlexanderBrassington]

@@discogareth they run on the hereford service. Another good reason to have lots of seating capacity at the station as they're only hourly like the crosscountry service

[@Farleigh1050]

hi

[@MikeNolan713]

Now if they decide to revamp kings Norton it would be appreciated. The station is an absolute dump. The middle part that was a platform that got closed off could have some benches or have it cleared away, so many shrubs and bushes, graffiti everywhere. They won't do it because it's not a popular area.

[@rikeep]

It’s likely to come back into use with the camp hill line extension so Kings Norton would get the revamp then

[@MikeNolan713]

@@rikeep Seems a shame that the middle platform isn't in use anymore. A full revamp would be great! It's old and outdated. Looks awful. The graffiti needs to go and the middle needs a clean up. But cotteridge isn't exactly the most popular place in the world 🤣

[@JenOnTheMove]

One of the middle platforms at Kings Norton is due to be bought back into use as part of the Camp Hill Line reopening

[@mdhazeldine]

I'm going to be a bit controversial. While functionally quite impressive, I find the design pretty uninspiring. It looks like an architect did it on the back of a napkin and then handed it over to engineers who removed almost all interesting design features to cut costs. The building is very boxy without much detailing and it's just...boring. When you look at old Victorian stations, Crossrail station or even modernist stations from the 1950s, they have much more panash. To me, Brent Cross West is far far nicer. I'm not trying to say this is rubbish...it just seems like a missed opportunity to do something great.

[@harryelliott4310]

Trains Station 🚉