Loco2 is changing tracks and will soon be known as Rail Europe. Read more

Manchester to Birmingham by train

Prices explained

Prices explained

At Loco2 we believe in price transparency. We use real data from Loco2 searches to estimate the cheapest fares you should be able to find for your journey.

The cheapest price is the lowest fare we've ever found for this journey. These prices can usually be found by searching when booking opens but they vary due to availability, which depends on factors like the day of the week or time of year.

More popular journeys include 30 day advance and 7 day advance prices. These are updated every two weeks using prices we've found by searching exactly 7 or 30 days from the most recent Thursday (we picked Thursday because this is when average prices are usually found).

30 day and 7 day prices fluctuate based on demand and availability at the time of search. For example, the 7-day price in summer is likely to be more expensive than the same journey in winter.

Prices are sourced in GBP and converted to other currencies using the daily market exchange rate.

We're always seeking to improve how price-checking works, and we welcome feedback on how we can make it better.

More advice about how to find the cheapest tickets can be found in our infographic.

  1. Cheapest Price $12.23
  2. 30 day advance $19.57
  3. 7 day advance $25.30
89% based on 49,754 reviews
  • First train
    05:11
  • Last train
    22:07
  • Avg changes
    0
  • Fastest journey
    1hr 24m
  • Distance
    113 kilometres
  • Trains per Day
    43
  • Avg. journey time
    1hr 32m
  • Train Operators

Travelling from Manchester to Birmingham by train

Fast trains from Manchester to Birmingham take around 1 hour and 24 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 113 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Manchester and Birmingham.

1. Are there direct trains from Manchester to Birmingham?

Direct trains from Manchester to Birmingham have been found.

We usually find around 45 direct trains on the route from Manchester to Birmingham every weekday.

There are typically fewer departures at weekends, when we found around 40 departures.

2. How long is the train journey from Manchester to Birmingham?

The Manchester to Birmingham train travel time is normally about 1 hour and 24 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

3. What are the Manchester to Birmingham train times and schedule?

On weekdays the earliest direct train to Birmingham is usually scheduled to depart Manchester around 05:11 and the last train is around 22:07. This is the same at the weekend.

What's the Manchester to Birmingham train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Manchester to Birmingham are $12.23.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $19 while booking 7 days in advance the price is around $25. Booking on the day of travel is likely to be more expensive, so it is worth booking in advance if you can to save money.

When to book Manchester to Birmingham train tickets?

Trains in the UK usually open for booking around 3 months in advance. If booking is not yet open for your dates then you can set a booking alert to receive an email on the day that the cheapest tickets are released for your journey from Manchester to Birmingham by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Manchester and Birmingham?

More than one train company operates on the route from Manchester to Birmingham, so you’ll be travelling with one or more of the following rail operators:

  • CrossCountry
  • Virgin Trains

You can check which train you’ll be travelling on by looking for the train name in search results.

Birmingham to Manchester by train

Other journeys to Birmingham View all journeys to Birmingham

Loco2 means a new way of booking trains online, but it also stands for low CO2 and lower cost travel. By simplifying the booking process, Loco2 hopes to encourage more people to ditch the plane and opt for a lower-carbon journey by train.

  • Easy, fast and cheap
  • Pay in EUR, GBP or USD
  • Cheaper UK tickets with Pricehack
  • 100% human support

Blog posts featuring Manchester or Birmingham

Top half-term holidays in the UK accessible by train

Half-term comes around so quickly after the holidays, whether it is spring our autumn. You don’t have to travel far for fun however. Here are some of our favourite UK half-term breaks by train.

University open days by train

University open day season is coming up, and we recommend booking your train to get cheap tickets now. Also, it’s really best not to go by car. The cities are on student shut-down for these ones.

Airport train stations - from runways to railways

Train stations near airports make your journey much easier and some cities have nailed it in terms of connecting runways with railways. Step off the plane and straight onto a train that takes you to other parts of the country. Here are our European infrastructural heroes.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to receive top tips, train news and travel inspiration straight to your inbox

Child and youth passengers

The definition of "Child" and "Youth" varies by country and operator. This is why we ask for the age of young passengers.

Sometimes children below a certain age can travel without a seat for free. If you want to guarantee a seat for child passengers, enter '6' as the age of the child.

Read more about child and youth passenger ages. See also youth discounts and railcards.