Update Tues 26 Jun 10pm: During writing this article, NXWM removed the information published on their website. We have been unable to find out why at this stage. Although the information in this article is directly from information published openly on the NXWM website, we advise caution until the information is re-instated on their own website. We will update this article again at that point. Please bear in mind some links in this article may not be active due to the removal by NXWM
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Following an extensive consultation, National Express West Midlands have today announced changes to bus routes in and around South and South West Birmingham.
Following some speculation over the last week or so on social media, the company have today published the full changes on their website.
Alterations to services range from timetable improvements to larger route changes, new express services, more direct routes to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and University of Birmingham.
They also say it will deliver: “a simpler network that is easier to understand”
Summary of changes for South West Birmingham from Sunday 22nd July 2018
Here we’ve listed changes to the following services: 22 / 23, 24, 27, 29, 45, 47, 48, 49, X61, 63, 84, 98, X64 For further details and full list of all service changes across the south of the city, please see the NXWM website
Service 22 / 23
- Replaced with new and modified routes:
- 23 Newman Uni – Bartley Green – Woodgate – Harborne – Five Ways – Birmingham Buses run up to every 8-10 minutes
- X22 Woodgate – Kitwell – Bartley Green – University / QE Hospital – Birmingham Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- The current 22 / 23 services will be combined into one, simpler, more frequent route; the new 23. This will run from Newman University via Bartley Green, Romsley Road, Woodgate, Woodgate Valley South, Harborne and Five Ways to Birmingham
- Kitwell and Jiggins Lane, currently served by the 22, will be served by the new X22. This will run from Woodgate via Kitwell, Romsley Road, Bartley Green, Jiggins Lane, California, Quinton Road and University / QE Hospital to Birmingham.>
- More buses in Bartley Green, Woodgate & Woodgate Valley South areas (23)
- Harborne to Birmingham buses will now simply be numbered 23 / 24
- New and direct links to University / QE Hospital from Kitwell, Bartley Green, Jiggins Lane and Quinton Road
- New Platinum buses on routes 23 / X22, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- Kitwell and Jiggins Lane will no longer have direct buses to Harborne; passengers can connect to 23 / X22 services along Stonehouse Road or California Way
- Buses will run less often during the day to Kitwell and Jiggins Lane, running every 20 minutes instead of every 15 minutes
- To help improve reliability, bus stops on Stonehouse Lane and Stonehouse Hill will be moved onto California Way and Northfield Road.
Service 24
Woodgate Valley North – Quinton – Harborne – Five Ways – Birmingham
- Changes:
- Buses will run more often – up to every 8 minutes during the day
- No need to change buses when travelling from Birmingham and Harborne to Quinton Road West, or from Highfield Lane to Harborne and Birmingham
- Harborne to Birmingham buses will now simply be numbered 23 / 24
- New platinum buses on route 24, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- Parts of Simmons Drive will no longer be served by the 2
- The route terminus at Woodgate Valley South will now move to Quinton Road West at West Boulevard.
- The route between Birmingham and Four Dwellings School will not change. From Four Dwellings School, buses will run along Highfield Lane, then up Simmonds Drive to run along Quinton Road West. This means the lower part of Simmonds Drive will not be served by the 24. The nearest stops can be located on Simmonds Drive close to the phone box, or along Quinton Road West as they are now.
- An alternative service will be provided along Simmons Drive by igo routes 10 / 10H / 10S, which will change at the same time. These buses will serve the full length of Simmons Drive.
Service 27
- Replaced with modified routes:
- 27 Harborne – Quinton Road – Weoley Castle – Northfield – Bournville – Kings Heath – Maypole Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- 48 Northfield – West Heath – Hawkesley – Cotteridge – Bournville – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Harborne – Bearwood – West Bromwich Buses run up to every 30 minutes
- Changes:
- Between Northfield and Maypole the route is not changing
- New direct links to Weoley Castle, QE Hospital (on Metchley Lane) and Harborne
- New 48 offers direct links from Turves Green and West Heath to University / QE Hospital; and from Hawkesley and Bournville to Harborne High Street
- Buses run more often between Hawkesley and University / QE Hospital, up to every 30 minutes
- There will be fewer buses running between Hawkesley and Northfield, running every 30 minutes instead of every 20 minutes
- Passengers currently travelling between Bournville and Turves Green / West Heath on the 27 will need to change onto the new 48 at Northfield
- The current 27 route will remain unchanged from Northfield through Bournville, Stirchley, Kings Heath, Yardley Wood and Warstock to Maypole
- The new 27 will extend from Northfield to Weoley Castle and Harborne. The route is the same as the current 29and will run along Bell Hill, Shenley Lane, Gregory Avenue, Weoley Castle Road, Castle Square, Beckbury Road, Castle Road, Alwold Road, Barnes Hill, California Way, Northfield Road and Quinton Road. It will then run a loop via Metchley Lane, Harborne High Street, Vivian Road and Harborne Park Road to Quinton Road, returning to Northfield along the reverse route.
- Hawkesley and West Heath will be linked with Northfield by changes to the 48, which will offer new direct links to Cotteridge, Bournville, Selly Oak and QE Hospital / University.
Service 29
- Replaced with new and modified routes:
- 23 / 24 Bartley Green / Woodgate Valley North – Harborne – Five Ways – Birmingham Buses run up to every 4-5 minutes between Harborne and Birmingham
- 27 Harborne – Quinton Road – Weoley Castle – Northfield – Bournville – Kings Heath – Maypole Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- 49 Solihull – Shirley – Maypole – Cotteridge – West Heath – Longbridge – Rubery – Frankley – Allens Cross – Northfield Buses run up to every 15 minutes
- X21 Woodcock Hill – Weoley Castle – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 15 minutes
- X22 Woodgate – Bartley Green – Quinton Road – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- Harborne to Birmingham buses will now simply be numbered 23 / 24
- More buses will serve Quinton Road, up to every 15 minutes to Birmingham (X22), up to every 20 minutes to Harborne (27)
- New direct links to University / QE Hospital from Quinton Road and Gregory Avenue
- Allens Cross area will have more buses to / from Northfield, Rubery and Longbridge, running up to every 15 minutes (49)
- New platinum buses on route X22, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- There will be no direct link between Weoley Castle, Quinton Road and Five Ways; passengers will need to change at California or Harborne, using the 27 / 23
- In Frankley and Allens Cross the new 49 will offer improved local links, running up to every 15 minutes, and be more reliable than the current 29 which experiences delays caused by unpredictable congestion in Birmingham. In Frankley the 49 will not run along Holly Hill Road, instead running faster along New Street and Tessall Lane. Holly Hill Road will be served by new 61.
- Northfield, Weoley Castle, Quinton Road and Harborne will be served by changes to the 27, that will run up to every 20 minutes between these areas. The route is the same as the current 29 and will run along Bell Hill, Shenley Lane, Gregory Avenue, Weoley Castle Road, Castle Square, Beckbury Road, Castle Road, Alwold Road, Barnes Hill, California Way, Northfield Road and Quinton Road. It will then run a loop via Metchley Lane, Harborne High Street, Vivian Road, Harborne Park Road to Quinton Road, returning to Northfield along the reverse route.
- Weoley Castle will be linked to Birmingham by a new route, the X21, running from Woodcock Hill along Long Nuke Road and Gregory Avenue to Weoley Castle, then along a similar route as the current X64 to Birmingham. Between University and Birmingham city centre, the X21 will be a limited stop service.
- Quinton Road will be linked to Birmingham by a new route, the X22, that will run from Woodgate, along Quinton Road to QE Hospital / University, then follows the same route as the current X64 into Birmingham.
Service 45
Longbridge – West Heath – Walkers Heath – Cotteridge – Stirchley – Birmingham Buses run up to every 12 minutes
- Changes:
- The current route between West Heath and Birmingham will not change.
- Between Longbridge and West Heath, buses on this route will use Coombes Lane and Groveley Lane instead of Longbridge Lane, routes served by the current 47 / 49.
Service 47
- Replaced with new and modified routes:
- 47 Longbridge – Turves Green – Cotteridge – Stirchley – Birmingham Buses run up to every 12 minutes
- X20 Cofton Hackett – Rednal – Longbridge – Northfield – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- Turves Green will have a direct link to Longbridge Station / town centre, with services running up to every 12 minutes
- Longbridge will have faster links to Kings Norton, Cotteridge and Stirchley
- New X20 directly links Cofton Hackett to Northfield, QE Hospital / University and Birmingham city centre
- New Platinum buses on X20 route, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- Links between Cofton Hackett and Kings Norton, Cotteridge and Stirchley have been replaced by those to Longbridge, Northfield, Selly Oak and QE Hospital / University
- The new 47 will run to / from Longbridge town centre.
- Coombes Lane and Groveley Lane will be served by the 45.
- New X20 will serve Cofton Hackett, offering direct links to Longbridge, Northfield, Selly Oak, QE Hospital / University and Birmingham city centre.
Service 48
- Replaced with new and modified routes:
- 48 Northfield – West Heath – Hawkesley – Cotteridge – Bournville – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Harborne – Bearwood – West Bromwich Buses run up to every 30 minutes
- 27 Harborne – Quinton Road – Weoley Castle – Northfield – Bournville – Kings Heath – Maypole Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- New direct links between University / QE Hospital to West Heath and Turves Green
- Buses run more often between University / QE Hospital and Bournville, Cotteridge, Kings Norton and Hawkesley
- Gibbins Road in Selly Oak will no longer be served; the nearest alternative stops are located on Harborne Lane, Bristol Road and Weoley Park Road
- Between Northfield and QE Hospital, the 48 will run along a new route through West Heath, Hawkesley, Cotteridge and Bournville to Selly Oak.
- The link between Northfield, Weoley Castle and Harborne will be served by changes to the 27 service, that will run up to every 20 minutes between these areas. This route is the same as the current 29.
- Castle Road, Middle Park Road, Swarthmore Road and Black Haynes Road will be served by changes to the 39 / 39A service provided by igo. Full details of this service will be available from networkwm.com shortly.
- Links between QE Hospital / University and Weoley Castle will be maintained by the new X21.
Service 49
Solihull – Shirley – Maypole – Cotteridge – West Heath – Longbridge – Rubery – Frankley – Allens Cross – Northfield Buses run up to every 15 minutes
- Changes:
- Allens Cross will have more buses on the 49 route to / from Northfield, Rubery and Longbridge, with buses running up to every 15 minutes
- Holly Hill Road will be served by the new 61, running up to every 10 minutes to Northfield, Selly Oak and Birmingham
- The current 49 route will not change between Solihull and West Heath.
- Between West Heath and Longbridge, buses will use Longbridge Lane instead of Groveley Lane and Coombes Lane. These roads will instead be served by the 45.
- In Frankley, the new 61 will serve Holly Hill Road, Frogmill Road and Tessall Lane. The 49 will serve Ormond Road, Arden Road, New Street and Tessall Lane. This means that Holly Hill Road will not have direct links to Rubery and Longbridge, but will have more frequent buses to Northfield and a new direct link to Birmingham city centre.
Service X61
- Replaced with new and modified routes:
- 61 Frankley – Northfield – Selly Oak – Birmingham Buses run up to every 10 minutes
- X20 Cofton Hackett – Rednal – Longbridge – Northfield – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- Buses will run more often along the 61 route
- Holly Hill Road and Frogmill Road will now be served by the 61
- In combination, routes 61 / 63 will run more often between Northfield and Birmingham
- More buses will run through Selly Oak in the evenings and on Sundays
- Bristol Road South has a new limited stop service to QE Hospital / University and Birmingham city centre (X20)
- New Platinum buses on X20 route, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- Two stops in Frankley will no longer be served by the 63, but are only a short walk from stops on Ormond Road
- Platinum buses will no longer serve the 61 route
- The X61 will be replaced by the new 61 service. This will run from the Arden Road terminus in Frankley, along New Street, Holly Hill Road, Frogmill Road, Tessall Lane and Frankley Beeches Road to Bristol Road South. It will then run along the same route as the 63 to Birmingham city centre.
- The 61 will run more often during the day than the current X61 service, and between Northfield and Birmingham, the new 61 will run alongside the 63. This means buses will run more often between Northfield, Selly Oak and Birmingham.
- A new limited stop service, the X20, will run from Cofton Hackett and Rednal along Bristol Road to QE Hospital / University and Birmingham city centre.
Service 63
Frankley – Rubery – Longbridge – Northfield – Selly Oak – Birmingham Buses run up to every 10 minutes
- Changes:
- The 61 / 63 combined, will run more often between Northfield and Birmingham
- Evening and Sunday services have been improved
- Stops on New Inns Lane will not be served by the 63, however these will be served by other services. The nearest alternative stops for the 63 are on Ormond Road (next to Old Stone Close) and on Cross Farm Lane
- Buses on the 63 route will start from Boleyn Road at Crompton Road and run along Ormond Road, Rubery Lane and Cross Farms Lane to New Inns Lane. The route will not change between New Inns Lane and Birmingham.
- The 63 will run less often during the middle of the day. Between Northfield and Birmingham new route 61 will run up to every 10 minutes, meaning buses will run more often between Northfield, Selly Oak and Birmingham.
Service 84
- Replaced with a modified route:
- 48 Northfield – West Heath – Hawkesley – Cotteridge – Bournville – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Harborne – Bearwood – West Bromwich Buses run up to every 30 mins
- Changes:
- New direct links between University / QE Hospital to West Heath and Turves Green
- Buses run more oftenbetween University / QE Hospital and Bournville, Cotteridge, Kings Norton and Hawkesley
- Hawkesley will be served by changes to the 48 service, offering direct links to Cotteridge, Bournville, Selly Oak and QE Hospital / University. This replaces the current 84 service.
- The 48 will also run from Hawkesley to West Heath and Northfield to replace the current 27.
Service 98
- Replaced with a brand new Platinum route:
- X20 Cofton Hackett – Rednal – Longbridge – Northfield – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- New X20 offers a direct link from Cofton Hackett to Northfield, University / QE Hospital and Birmingham
- Bristol Road South will have a new limited stop service to University / QE Hospital and Birmingham
- New Platinum buses on X20 route, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- Great Park, Leach Green Lane and parts of Lickey Road will not be served by the new X20 service
- The new X20 service will run from Cofton Hackett via Groveley Lane, Lowhill Lane, Lickey Road and Edgewood Road, through Rednal to Bristol Road South at Great Park. It will then run a limited stop service through Northfield, Selly Oak and QE Hospital / University to Birmingham city centre.
- The nearest alternative stops along the new route are located on Bristol Road South, Ashill Road, Edgewood Road, Lickey Road and Lowhill Lane. Most stops that will not be served along Leach Green Lane and Lickey Road will be served by changes to route 19 run by igo. Full details of this service will be available from networkwm.com shortly.
Service X64
- Replaced with new and modified routes:
- X21 Woodcock Hill – Weoley Castle – Selly Oak – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 15 minutes
- X22 Woodgate – Bartley Green – Quinton Road – QE Hospital / University – Birmingham Buses run up to every 20 minutes
- Changes:
- Buses will run more often between Woodcock Hill, Lodge Hill, Selly Oak and University / QE Hospital, Birmingham (X21)
- Buses will run more often between Bartley Green and University / QE Hospital, Birmingham (X22)
- Long Nuke Lane and Gregory Avenue have new direct buses to University / QE Hospital (X21)
- Kitwell and Jiggins Lane have new direct buses to University / QE Hospital (X22)
- New Platinum buses on X22 route, offering premium comfort with extra legroom, wifi and USB points
- The current link between Bartley Green and Weoley Castle will no longer run; there are regular buses up to every 15 minutes on route 002, provided by Diamond
- Woodgate and Bartley Green will be linked to QE Hospital / University by new route X22. This will run a more direct route to QE Hospital / University via Jiggins Lane and Quinton Road, instead of Weoley Castle.
- Woodcock Hill and Weoley Castle will be linked to Birmingham by new route X21. This will run from Woodcock Hill along Woodcock Lane, Cromwell Lane, Moors Lane, Hillwood Road, Long Nuke Road and Gregory Avenue to Weoley Castle, then continue along the same route as the current X64 to Edgbaston. It will then run a limited stop service into Birmingham. One bus stop on Woodcock Lane will not be served. The nearest stops are at Weoley Castle Road (by Shenley Lane) or Woodcock Lane (by Shenley Fields Homes). The closest stop to Newman University is at Cromwell Lane / Moors Lane, which is a short walk away.