Due in part to its location in central England, Birmingham is a major transport hub. Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... This article is about the city in England. ...

Public transport

A large number of railway lines from all over Britain meet at Birmingham New Street station, which is the central hub of the UK rail network and has regular train services to all the major cities in the UK including London. Trains to London Marylebone Station can also be caught at Moor Street station or Snow Hill station, though Snow Hill's London services are due to be diverted into Moor Street station in 2009. There is also a substantial network of rail services within Birmingham and the West Midlands county, operated by Central Trains and supported by Centro, among the main lines is the Cross City railway line, which operates from Lichfield through Birmingham New Street to Redditch. A similar rail service operates from Wolverhampton through New Street to Coventry. The tracks at the eastern end of Birmingham New Street station Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. ... St. ... The main entrance to Marylebone station. ... Birmingham Moor Street railway station is one of three main railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham, England. ... The station entrance Birmingham Snow Hill station is a railway station located in the centre of Birmingham, England. ... Birmingham Moor Street railway station is one of three main railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham, England. ... 2009 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The West Midlands refers to western area of The Midlands (central England). ... A Central Trains Class 158/0 unit Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and cross-country trains in central England. ... Centro Is the name of the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority. ... The Cross_City Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. ... Lichfield - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Redditch is a town and local government district in Worcestershire, England, just south of the West Midlands urban area. ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. ...

Local bus services in Birmingham are largely operated by Travel West Midlands which operates a large network based on a range of services operating along main roads out of Birmingham (there are few Cross City services) and the Birmingham Outer Circle bus service, the longest urban bus service in Europe. Most the network is operated on a purely commercial basis however services in evenings and on Sundays services are supported by Centro the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive. 'Independent' operators provide a range of services, either in competition to Travel West Midlands or under contract to Centro. Longer distance bus services are operated from Birmingham. First Wyvern (formally First Midland Red) operates services to Worcester and Redditch. Arriva operates several services to places such as Burton-on-Trent and Tamworth in Staffordshire. The Birmingham Outer Circle is a bus route in Birmingham, England. ... Centro Is the name of the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority. ... In the United Kingdom, Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas. ... First Group PLC is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen in Scotland. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced ) is the county town of Worcestershire in England; the river Severn runs through the middle, with the citys large Worcester Cathedral overlooking the river. ... Redditch is a town and local government district in Worcestershire, England, just south of the West Midlands urban area. ... An Arriva bus arriving at Telford Central An Arriva train in North Wales Arriva is a private company that runs public transport services throughout the United Kingdom. ... Burton-upon-Trent is a large town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England, which originally grew up around the monastery of St. ... Map sources for Tamworth at grid reference SK2203 Tamworth is a historic town and local government district in Staffordshire England, located 17 miles (25km) north-east from the city of Birmingham. ... Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the Midlands of England. ...

The Midland Metro, a light-rail tram system promoted by Centro, currently connects Birmingham to Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. Further expansion in Birmingham City Centre has been approved. There are currently plans to extend the system across Birmingham and the West Midlands. However given the fact that the Government have announced they will not support further tram networks or expansions of existing ones in seems unlikely that the system will be expanded any further. This is also coupled by the new Conservative City Council which favours building a very expensive Birmingham underground network, whether this ever gets beyond the drawing board remains to be seen. A Midland Metro tram The Midland Metro is a light-rail tram system in the West Midlands of England. ... A tram of the Luas system in Dublin, Ireland A train of Light Rail, KCRC, Hong Kong. ... Street cars in New Orleans A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland For modern innovations aimed at increasing the capacity and speed of tramway systems, see light rail. ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... Map sources for West Bromwich at grid reference SO9992 West Bromwich is the largest town within the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, in the English county of West Midlands, five miles north west of Birmingham. ... Map sources for Wednesbury at grid reference SO9895 Wednesbury is a town in Englands Black Country. ... Conservative Party, as a proper noun, can refer to: Canada Conservative Party of Canada (since 2003) Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942-2003) Conservative Party of Canada (historical) (until 1942) Their respective affiliated provincial parties Chile - Conservative Party Colombia - Colombian Conservative Party Denmark - Conservative Peoples Party New Zealand - Conservative...

Birmingham also forms a major hub in the National Express coach network, which is based in Birmingham and operates services from its coach station in Digbeth. This is due to be redeveloped by 2007 after plans to build a replacement coach station next to Snow Hill Station were shelved due to a break down in discussions between National Express and the City Council. Birmingham also has a Megabus service to London. This article is about the company responsible for most long distance bus and coach services in the UK and the brand it uses; for information on the owning group, see the National Express Group article. ... Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Megabus is a British no-frills intercity bus service run by Stagecoach. ... St. ...

Roads

The M6 motorway connects Birmingham to London and the south, and the north-east of England and Scotland. Junction 6 of the M6 is also one of Birmingham's most famous landmarks, and probably the most famous motorway junction in the UK: Spaghetti Junction, officially called the Gravelly Hill Interchange. Other local motorways include: The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in England. ... St. ... Spaghetti Junction (officially Gravelly Hill Interchange) is junction 6 of the M6 motorway in Birmingham, England, and is so named for its impressive system of intertwined loops and ramps. ...

• The A38(M) which links Spaghetti Junction to the city centre
• The M40, which connects Birmingham to London and Oxford
• The M5, connecting Birmingham to the south-west of England
• The M42, which connects Birmingham to the East Midlands
• The M6 Toll, which enables through traffic on the M6 to bypass Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Other major roads passing through Birmingham include: The A38 is a major trunk road in England. ... The M40 motorway is the second motorway in the British transport network to connect London to Birmingham. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... The M5 motorway (Sydney) is also a motorway in Sydney, Australia. ... The M42 motorway is a major road in England. ... The East Midlands is one of the regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the tradional region of the Midlands. ... Roadside sign showing tariffs for the M6 Toll. ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ...

• The A34 from Manchester to Winchester
• The A38 from Mansfield to Bodmin
• The A41 from London to Birkenhead
• The A45 from Birmingham to Thrapston (formerly to Felixstowe)
• The A47 from Birmingham to Great Yarmouth
• The A4040 Outer Ring Road

The A34 is a major road in England. ... Manchester is a city in the north-west of England. ... Winchester Cathedral as seen from the Cathedral Close Arms of Winchester City Council Winchester is a city in southern England, and the administrative capital of the county of Hampshire, with a population of around 35,000. ... The A38 is a major trunk road in England. ... Location within the British Isles. ... Map sources for Bodmin at grid reference SX074667 The town of Bodmin lies in the centre of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, along the western edge of Bodmin Moor. ... The A41 is a major trunk road in England, United Kingdom that links London to Birkenhead. ... St. ... Location within the British Isles. ... The A45 is a major road in England. ... This article is about the city in England. ... Thrapston is a small town in Northamptonshire, England. ... Map sources for Felixstowe at grid reference TM3034 Felixstowe is a North Sea seaport in Suffolk, England. ... The A47 is a trunk road in England linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. ... This article is about the city in England. ... Map sources for Great Yarmouth at grid reference TG5207 Great Yarmouth is an English coastal town in the county of Norfolk. ... The A4040 is the Outer Ring Road in Birmingham, England. ...

Air

Birmingham is served by Birmingham International Airport, which has flights to all over Europe and to New York. The airport is served by the railway network at Birmingham International railway station. Birmingham International Airport is a major airport located on the border of the city of Birmingham and borough of Solihull (and mostly in the latter) in the West Midlands, England. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, music, and culture. ... Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England. ...

Canals

Although it has no major river (the Rea, on which the City was founded, is now little more than a culverted stream, and the Tame, which only passes through the northern suburbs, is not navigable), Birmingham is at the hub of the country's canal network. For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A river is a large natural waterway. ... The River Rea is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. ... The River Tame flows from the Black Country, through north Birmingham, past Tamworth, and into the River Trent near Alrewas. ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ...

There are 35 miles (60 km) of canals within the city, of which most are navigable. Birmingham is often described as having more miles of canal than Venice. This is technically correct (Venice has 26 miles), however, Birmingham is far larger than Venice [1], so the latter has a far higher concentration of canals; and the type of waterway is very different. Location within Italy Venice (Italian Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ...

Extensive regeneration of the canals has taken place since the 1980s, from dredging them to enable the smooth passage of narrowboats, to the massive investment in and construction of canalside living accommodation. Similar development is planned for the Eastside area in Digbeth. // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Dredging is the process by which either new waterways are created or existing waterways are deepened. ... A narrowboat is a boat or small barge used on narrow beam canals in Britain. ... The Eastside is the collective term for the eastern suburbs of Seattle, Washington. ... Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. ...

Canals in Birmingham include:

• the Birmingham Canal Navigations network
• the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
• the Birmingham and Worcester Canal
• the Grand Union Canal.