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Plans are being finalised to make Birmingham New Street station the new home of the Commonwealth Games’ Raging Bull.

Rail passengers are being advised of changes to journeys over the next four weekends while essential railway upgrades take place at Water Orton in North Warwickshire and Duddeston in Birmingham.

New railway sidings have been opened on the Chiltern main line to keep passengers moving during construction of Britain’s new zero carbon, high-speed railway, HS2. 

Passengers are being advised to plan their journeys ahead of railway improvements which will protect tracks in and out of London Marylebone station from flooding.

Railway engineers are making final preparations ahead of major accessibility improvements for passengers at Warwick station.

• Rail union strikes between 3-7 January will mean very limited trains for passengers
• Birmingham New Street will see nine trains per hour during RMT strikes on 3-4 and 6-7
• Services will start much later from 7.30am with last departures by 5pm
• No trains will run at all during an ASLEF train drivers' strike on Thursday 5 January
• On all days passengers should only travel if absolutely necessary

After safely getting tens of millions of trains to where they need to be over 56 years, the Network Rail team at Birmingham New Street’s iconic railway signal box will move its last service on Christmas Eve.

• Only absolutely necessary rail travel is advised during strike action on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December
• Trains will be on a significantly reduced timetable, will start later from 7:30am and finish by 6.30pm
• During those times up to nine trains per hour will serve Birmingham New Street station
• With no departing trains after 5pm people should plan alternative ways to get home
• Birmingham New Street station will close its doors by 7pm
• Nationally 20% of services will run on just 50% of the network – most branch lines will have no trains at all