Thousands of visitors to Birmingham’s world-famous St Patrick’s Day parade are being advised to use public transport to get there.

Up to 80,000 people expected to attend the parade on the streets of Digbeth on Sunday afternoon and there will be road closures and diversions in place during the festivities.

So Transport for West Midlands has teamed up with organisers to offer advice to those travelling into Birmingham City Centre on Sunday, March 17 to help them avoid disruption. The parade is from noon until 2pm but there are linked events all afternoon and evening.

They are advising people to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for the journeys.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, who is attending the parade, said: “Birmingham will welcome thousands of visitors for one of the biggest St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the world.

“It is rightly a highlight of the city’s events calendar and always a great day out for families.

“We want everyone to have a fantastic time and are providing this travel advice to help them enjoy their visit.”

In particular visitors are urged to use public transport to get into the city centre.

• Plan ahead and leave extra time for journeys: check timetables and plan your route before you travel. 
• Be patient and expect to queue: Moor Street Station and surrounding areas are likely to be busy, especially after the parade ends
• Use public transport wherever possible

Cllr Roger Lawrence, West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio lead for transport and leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council said: “We want everyone attending the St Patrick’s Day parade or visiting Birmingham City Centre this Sunday to have a good time and to use public transport if you can. It will be the hassle free way to get there.”

Travelling by bus

There will be route and stop changes from 6am until 5pm for most bus services travelling to and from Digbeth and Birmingham.

There will be changes to the following bus services:

• NXWM 35 will not stop on Moor Street MS1, please use MS4 on Moor Street Queensway.
• NXWM 50 will not stop on Moor Street MS2, please use MS3 on Moor Street Queensway.
• NXWM 80 and 80A will not stop at Station Street NS13, Upper Dean Street MK2, or St Martins Queensway MS4, please use NS9 on Smallbrook Queensway
• NXWM and Diamond 16 and 16W will not stop on Station Street NS12 or Markets MK3, please use NS5 on Smallbrook Queensway or MS3 on Moor Street Queensway
• NXWM 2, 3, 5 & 6 and Johnsons X50 will depart from stop MS7 on Carrs Lane. Moor Street Queensway MS16 and Park Street PA3 will not be in use during the event.
• NXWM 4 and 4A will depart from stop MS5 on Carrs Lane.  Moor Street Queensway MS16 and Park Street PA3 will not be in use during the event.
• NXWM 60, X1 and X2 will depart from Albert Street, High Street instead of Moor Street Queensway MS4
• NXWM 97 will not stop on Moor Street MS18, please use MS8 on Moor Street Queensway.

Travelling by train

All train services are due to run to a normal Sunday timetable.

Services from Solihull will be extremely busy so consider catching a train from either Shirley or Birmingham International to travel into the city centre.
The nearest Metro stop is Grand Central which is approximately a 10 minute walk.

Cars and parking

Road closures will be in place in Digbeth and the surrounding area so public transport will be the best way to enjoy the day.

If you do need to drive into Birmingham the car parks closest to Digbeth will be the busiest, so consider parking further away.

For up to date travel information visit: https://www.networkwestmidlands.com/plan-your-journey/major-roadworks-and-events/st-patricks-day/

ENDS

For further information contact the TfWM media office on 0121 214 7073 or email media@wmca.org.uk