TFNation 2016 – travel information part 1 – Getting to Birmingham International Station/NEC
With many people travelling large distances to get to TFNation, and some attending the UK for the first time, we have produced this short guide to take a little of the stress out of your journey.
TFNation is being held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel. This is located next to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. The NEC has strong transport links via Birmingham International Train Station and Birmingham International Airport, which are both linked by on convenient hub.
The following guides will assist you in reaching Birmingham International/NEC – from there, you are just a short walk / ride away from the hotel
1) By Air
Birmingham international airport receives flights from many major cities across the world.
Once you reach arrivals, go up the escalators. At the top of these you will see the entrance to a Monorail. This is important as it is your gateway to the convention.
The free monorail runs every 10 mins from 5:00am to 2:00am. The journey itself only takes a couple of minutes and it will drop you off safely at Birmingham International train station.
Fear not though, no trains needed – during daytime hours you can simply walk across the overpass that runs between the train station and the NEC.
So in a matter of minutes, you will have gotten off your plane, hopped onto a free monorail, and then walked across the overpass to the other side of the NEC. All you have to do now is follow the signs to the Hilton.
Please Note – The overpass closes at night. It normally closes at 1:00am but has been known to close earlier. If this happens you can either get a taxi from train station (approx. £8.00 at time of writing) or hope on a free shuttle bus to the hotel – look out for the Subway fast food restaurant as right next door to it, there is a free yellow phone that will connect you to the Hilton. Give the a call and they will tell you when the next shuttle is due.
2) By train.
Birmingham International is part of the national rail network and can be reached from most locations.
If your journey requires you to change at Birmingham New Street, do not worry as there are regular services between New Street and International.
Once you arrive at the station just head for the overpass as explained in the previous section.
Trains from New Street to International
Thursday 18th: First train 05:29 Last train 23:54
Friday 19th: First train 05:29 Last train 23:54
Saturday 20th: First train 05:50 Last train 23:14
Sunday 21st: First train 08:30 Last train 23:14
Monday 22nd: First train 05:29 Last train 23:54
Trains from International to New Street
Thursday 18th: First train 06:05 Last train 01:30 (fri)
Friday 19th: First train 06:05 Last train 01:29 (sat)
Saturday 20th: First train 06:18 Last train 23:49
Sunday 21st: First train 08:30 Last train 00:09 (mon)
Monday 22nd: First train 06:05 Last train 01:24 (tues)
3) By coach
Birmingham coach station is located in Mill lane B56DD. It is approx. 15mins walk from there to Birmingham New Street (via the B4100 until you reach the Bullring, then follow signs for New Street) though we would suggest attendees use a taxi as the journey is mostly uphill.
4) By car
The Hilton is approximately 200 yards from Junction 6 of the M42. For SatNav users, the NEC postcode is B40 1NT. Road users will be able to reach the Hilton without going via the NEC.
