Birmingham Commonwealth Games: How can I get to events?

Visitors are being urged to use public transport to get to the Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games are officially under way in Birmingham and for the next 11 days athletes will be competing across the city and wider West Midlands.

Events are being held in Sandwell, Coventry, Warwickshire and Cannock Chase as well as around Birmingham.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has emphasised the desire for a "public transport Games" with visitors urged to leave their cars at home.

Tickets include free public transport, so here's some tips for getting around.

Trains

Birmingham New Street station is close to a number of venues

Rail strikes are expected to affect journeys to the Games on Saturday 30 July, so make sure you check before you travel.

CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways, which serve Coventry, Birmingham Moor Street and Warwick are not involved in the strike action. This means their services should be operating as normal but are likely to be busier than usual.

Birmingham's city centre stations - New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill - are your closest for events such as the gymnastics at Arena Birmingham, basketball and beach volleyball at Smithfield or events such as the marathon in Victoria Square.

If you'd prefer the train to the shuttle bus to watch the athletics at Alexander Stadium, your nearest station is Perry Barr.

For events at the NEC like weightlifting and table tennis, catch the train to Birmingham International and you'll be on the doorstep.

Smethwick Galton Bridge is a 25-minute walk to the Sandwell Aquatics Centre for swimming and diving competitions. You can also catch the train to the Hawthorns station and pick up the shuttle bus from there.

For the triathlon in Sutton Park, it's a 20-minute walk to the venue from Sutton Coldfield station, or you can also head to Wylde Green station.

Cycling fans are probably heading to West Park, Warwick or Cannock Chase Forest. For the former, you can catch the train to Wolverhampton and walk for about 20 minutes. Head to Warwick or Leamington Spa stations for the road races, where a short walk or shuttle will take you to the venue. For those heading to Cannock Chase, catch the train to Stafford and then head for the shuttle bus.

Coventry Arena is just an 11 minute walk from Coventry Arena station, with a designated walking route signposted.

If you're lucky enough to have got your hands on hockey or squash tickets at the University of Birmingham, you'll be there after a short walk across campus from University station.

Shuttles

Shuttle buses are available from a number of stops, including Smallbrook Queensway

Dedicated shuttle buses are on hand to take passengers directly to a number of venues. You also don't need to book these - you can just turn up and hop on.

The services will be running for about three hours before each event and 90 minutes after.

If you're heading to the Alexander Stadium for the athletics, the shuttle will pick you up and drop you off on the James Watt Queensway, near the law courts in Birmingham city centre.

For those heading to the Coventry Stadium for the Rugby Sevens, head to Pool Meadow bus station or Coventry train station where your shuttle will be waiting.

If you've got tickets for events at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, pick up the shuttle from the Hawthorns Transport Hub in West Bromwich.

Shuttle buses are also available for cycling events in Cannock Chase Forest - you'll need to get to Victoria Park in Stafford first, which is a six-minute walk from the town's train station.

And finally there's also a shuttle service to the Edgbaston Stadium for the cricket, which will pick visitors up from Smallbrook Queensway, just around the corner from New Street Station in Birmingham city centre.

Tram

Trams will stop near venues in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Sandwell

The metro will get you to events in Birmingham city centre as well as Wolverhampton and Sandwell.

Hop off at Library for events at Arena Birmingham, Grand Central for Smithfield, The Hawthorns for Sandwell Aquatics Centre and Wolverhampton St George's for West Park.

Bus and coach

The West Midlands has a number of local bus routes

Dedicated coach services will bring spectators from across the country to Digbeth Coach Station in Birmingham and Coventry Pool Meadow Bus Station where you'll be able to travel onwards to events.

The coaches are running from places including Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham, Leeds, Shrewsbury and many more. You can find more information here - but be aware tickets will need to be booked in advance.

Once you've made it to the West Midlands, there are a number of options for local bus travel - plan your route here.

Scooters and bicycles

Free bicycle hire is available for the duration of the Games

Bicycle parking is available at all of the venues if you wanted to cycle to events.

There are a number of West Midlands cycle hire docking stations around the region, including special pop-ups at Alexander Stadium, Arena Birmingham, Coventry Arena and Stadium, Edgbaston Stadium, Smithfield and Sandwell Aquatics Centre.

Each day of the Games, everyone is entitled to take two free 30-minute rides.

In Birmingham, there are also cycle lanes to get you to the Alexander Stadium, Edgbaston Stadium and the University of Birmingham.

If pedal power isn't your thing, you can rent an e-scooter from Voi which is also setting up docking stations in Perry Barr, Birmingham city centre, Cannon Hill Park, Smithfield and the University of Birmingham.

The company is also offering discounted day passes for the duration of the Games.

Car

Drivers have been urged to leave their cars at home

Driving is discouraged as a means of getting to events, with all venues implementing temporary road restrictions and no parking, pick-up or drop off facilities.

There are exemptions for blue-badge holders who have pre-booked - and there are plenty of park and ride options where people can leave their cars and hop on a shuttle bus.

There are park and ride options available for the Alexander Stadium, Coventry Stadium and Sandwell Aquatics Centre.

Park and walk options are also available in Cannock Chase Forest, the NEC, Sutton Park, Victoria Park and Warwick.

There are no options for spectator parking at Arena Birmingham, Edgbaston Stadium, Smithfield, the University of Birmingham or West Park.

There are also no drop off points for taxis directly outside any venues.

However, roadworks on the M6 in the West Midlands between junctions four at Coleshill and five at Castle Bromwich have been lifted to help drivers have smoother journeys around Birmingham and avoid impacting on visitors travelling around the region, National Highways said.

Some roadworks near a £282m project at junction six of the M42 have also been re-scheduled to allow motorists easier access to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) which is hosting several events.

For more information about travel options for the Commonwealth Games, visit the Birmingham 2022 website.