Travel

The NEC is situated 8 miles East of Birmingham city centre; its central location ensures it is at the hub of the UK motorway network. Visitors from any direction can travel to The NEC site directly using the following motorways - M1, M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40 and M42.

The NEC is signposted on motorways and major roads and is marked on most good maps. If you are travelling by car, we recommend that you allow plenty of time for your journey.

M6 Toll
As a free flowing alternative to the M6, the M6 Toll offers reliably shorter journey times through the West Midlands. It runs between Junctions 4 and 11 of the M6, and there is easy access to The NEC from Junction T1 of the toll road.

Using Sat Nav
If you are using a satellite navigation system please enter the postcode B40 1NT to pinpoint us. Please be aware that the Sat Nav system will not direct you into an onsite car park. Please follow the clearly signposted directions once in the vicinity of the venue.

The NEC has numerous car parks that are more broadly categorised into North, East, South and West. All in all there are over 20,000 onsite parking spaces!

On your arrival at The NEC, traffic officers will direct you to the most convenient parking area for your event, however being such a large site with a number of entrances, it is recommended that you refer to The NEC Site Map before your arrival to avoid adding time to your journey.

The NEC has designated car park spaces for visitors with disabilities.

Car Parking charges are dependent upon the event you are attending, please check http://www.thenec.co.uk/whatson section on this website for more detailed information.

Unless stated otherwise the cost of parking in an onsite car parking space is £8.

All vehicles displaying blue badges will incur no car parking charges.

Traffic Radio
For visitors travelling to The NEC by car, Traffic Radio broadcasts the latest traffic conditions, emergency incidents and roadworks on motorways and major A roads. Traffic Radio broadcasts continuous live traffic updates online at www.trafficradio.org.uk and on DAB digital radio.

You can also hear Traffic Radio whilst at The NEC from your car radio on 1386 AM helping you to plan your journey home.

The NEC is situated adjacent to Birmingham International Rail Station; if you are coming to a show at The NEC you can reach any of our halls without stepping outside!

Depending on your origin station you can travel directly by train to The NEC by alighting at Birmingham International. If your point of origin does not provide a service directly to Birmingham International you will need to travel to Birmingham New Street first and get a connecting train from there.

For further information on travelling by train to Birmingham International Station, please contact National Rail enquiries:

Tel: 08457 484950
National Rail website http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street Station is a short journey of approximately 10-15 minutes from Birmingham International Station.

Once off the train
Once you have arrived at Birmingham International Rail Station take the stairs or lift from any platform up to the station interchange. The entrance to The NEC is situated on the right hand side as you exit the station and is clearly signposted. Continue to walk along the covered walkway called the bridgelink where you can then follow signs to reach your exact destination.

Birmingham International Airport (BHX) is our neighbour, which is extremely convenient for our foreign visitors and those on internal flights; once you've grabbed your luggage it will take just minutes to get to The NEC from the airport.

Birmingham International Airport (BHX) Website http://www.bhx.co.uk/

Once You've Landed

Walk
This is the quickest way to reach The NEC. If you are on foot follow the signs to the Air-Rail Link which leaves the airport from the first floor of Terminal 1. Once you have stepped off the Air-Rail at Birmingham International Station continue straight ahead through the concourse onto The NEC bridgelink.

Taxi
Taxi ranks are situated outside of the passenger terminals. Black cabs are the safest way to travel and each vehicle carries 5 people with luggage.

Air-Rail Link
The Air-Rail Link is a free, speedy and convenient way to travel between the Airport Passenger Terminals and Birmingham International Station and The NEC. Using a cable drawn system the Air-Rail Link has two trains each with a maximum capacity of 24 passengers.

The Air-Rail Link leaves the airport from the upper level of Terminal 1. It connects the Airport Passenger terminals to Birmingham International Station. The NEC is connected to the rail station via a covered bridgelink.

The Air-Rail Link operates every two minutes and has a one-way travel time of 90 seconds. The Air-Rail Link operates daily between 0515 and 0200.

Other Airports
East Midlands Airport (EMA) http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/emaweb.nsf
Distance: 40 miles

Coventry Airport (COV) http://www.coventryairport.co.uk
Distance: 15 miles

The NEC can be reached by a number of local bus services. If you are travelling to The NEC from Birmingham city centre there are two route options.

The 900 service leaves from Moor Street Interchange and has a daytime frequency of 20 minutes. The 900 will drop you at Birmingham International Station with a journey time of approximately 31 minutes.

The 38 service leaves from Moor Street Interchange hourly, it has a journey time of approximately one hour. The 38 will drop you off at Birmingham International Station.

Local bus information can be found at the following websites:

• www.networkwestmidlands.co.uk 
• www.networkwestmidlands.co.uk/
• ww.travelwm.co.uk 
• www.travelwm.co.uk/

The National Express coach station is located in Digbeth in Birmingham city centre.
National Express Website  http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

Bus
The 900 service travels from Digbeth to Birmingham International Station and has a daytime frequency of 20 minutes. The 900 will drop you at Birmingham International Interchange with a journey time of approximately 25 minutes.

Train
Birmingham New Street station is approximately an 11 minute walk from Digbeth coach station.

Taxi
The NEC is approximately a 10 mile journey by taxi from Digbeth coach station. Black cabs are the safest way to travel and each vehicle carries 5 people with luggage.