A KEY change has come into effect for trains departing from Birmingham New Street Station.

As of yesterday (Sunday), train doors will shut up to 40 seconds before services leave the station, in order to help trains stay on time.

Previously, train doors only shut up to 30 seconds before departure, with Network Rail and train operators agreeing that increasing this would help passengers get to their destinations on time.

Birmingham New Street is the busiest station in the country, outside of London, serving around one million passengers per week.

In the run to Christmas, Network Rail have said on weekends, as many as 175,000 people use the station each Saturday and Sunday.  

Five train operators run services that stop at the station, including West Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales.

The new 10 second increase in the time the doors close before departure will affect all five operators.

Steven Ireland, Head of Stations, Security and Customer Relationship Management for Network Rail’s Central route, said: “This change will help passengers have a more reliable and on time journey from Birmingham New Street.

“At this time of year, when we see an increase in visitors for the Christmas markets and events across the city, the station and platform can get really busy.

“While only a 10 second increase for some services, that extra time allows for everything to be in place to allow the train to leave on time and help to reduce any delays to passengers.”

Lucy Wootton, Head of Grand Railway Collaboration, which represents the five train operators that serve Birmingham New Street, added: “At the moment, the time at which the doors close is inconsistent across services – some are 30 seconds, and some are 40 seconds.

“A consistent door closure time of 40 seconds before departure will make it easier for passengers to plan their journeys and will help to allow more services and passengers leave the station on time.”

Passengers have been urged to plan ahead and “factor in the extra seconds” when planning their journeys.