The new National Express coach station on Bradford Street will be fully-functioning tomorrow. Some, like Karen Strunks are looking forward to the new station with its Starbucks, WH Smith and an Uppercrust bakery, which promises to be a vast improvement on the older model she’d photographed above. Others, like Ian Jelf, aren’t so pleased because it’s situated ‘that little bit “out” of the City centre in a still-not-very-brilliant area.’ Grrrr…
I’m very happy the plush new station is ready to go, if only because I’ll no longer get accosted by panicked-looking people with suitcases demanding to know, “Where’s the coach station?” The temporary move across the road seemed to be more than many could handle.
So happy, I’d quite like to spend some time in there, enjoying the luxuries it has to offer and talking to the passengers passing though, gathering tales of their journeys via Digbeth – where they’ve come from, where they’re going to, their reasons for travel and their experience of the new station along the way.
I suspect the most colourful tales could be gathered during the loud and lively party season that’s about to hit us, so I’m planning my sit-in for the liveliest night of them all. I’ll be arriving at the coach station at 6pm on 31st December and will be staying there until 6am on 1st January – seeing in the brand New Year in a brand new coach station, hopefully gathering some interesting stories from party-goers, commuters and coach station workers whilst I’m there. If you fancy joining me, I’d love some company, but won’t hold out too much hope on that score. If you’re passing through or near the coach station over that time, please seek me out and stop for chat!
Are you sure there’ll be anyone there? I just looked up the coach times and there was no departures to London (most popular/frequent route?) from 9pm 31/12 to 3am 1/1
I did check the times of a few routes 31 Dec – 1 Jan and was surprised to find that there are quite a few coaches scheduled! Definitely enough to make life interesting anyway, especially as I’m getting there quite early in the evening. I may be thankful of a quiet patch after the merry-makers have passed through!
You’re still mad
Gosh Nicky, I admire you. You are a true journalist and your truly love Digbeth. Good for you. Will I be joining you? Errrr….no, but I really do wish you all the very best.
Is there a cash machine?
Cheers Jo, beaming from ear to ear over your comment!
Andy – if there is a proper cash machine that doesn’t charge me £1.50 for my own money I shall kiss it. And that’s a promise.
This is a great idea, cant wait for the results. well, obviously I can wait and due temporal restrictions kinda have to. But you know what I mean
Don’t kiss it without a photoshoot. And streamers. And champagne.
Cheers Danny!
Michael – I may stretch to a cheap bottle of Cava. I ain’t made of money.
Nicky dear, you are mad. But I love you. Would you like a warm scarf for Xmas?
My enduring memory of Digbeth coach station is trying to get back to Manchester the weekend after the eclipse in 1999. After many delays and cancelled coaches, we eventually got to Digbeth around 11pm-ish, only to have the coach to Manchester and the North be 20 people oversubscribed and leave without us. Taxis quickly arrived to take people to Edinburgh and Glasgow, but we were forgotten about, the security guard locked himself away and a few groups started to frequent the area for a bit of a chat.
A taxi eventually arrived, driven by someone who had never left Birmingham, so I found myself having to try and stay awake after 2am directing someone to the M56 and home. Ah, happy days.
You’ll need to take a web-enabled mobile with you: National Express confirmed to me today that the new station has no public wi-fi.
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Beautifully bonkers! This is how the best books, blogs, articles get material & it takes time to find the gems. Good luck & good coffee – you’ll need some of each
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Hi Nicky, good luck for tonight. Pack a scarf and gloves!
Looking forward to hearing the story of New Years Eve 2010 in Birmingham Coach Station whether it’s good, bad or ugly!
Best of luck from us all at National Express and Happy new Year x
PS the pubic WiFi is working so you update us throughout the night
er….and that would be PUBLIC wifi, not pubic.
Truly classic typo Carly, far too great for me to correct! Happy to hear there’s WiFi there, Andy Mabbett will be pleased.
Happy New Year X
Nicky.
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Carly: I have an e-mail from ‘Support Staff’ (no name given) at National Express, dated 20 December, stating that there is no public wifi at Digbeth; with tracking no is F8TRJ88. That was in response to my direct question about the availability of such. What’s up?
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