Birmingham to Reading by train

Prices explained

Prices explained

At Rail Europe we believe in price transparency. We use real data from Rail Europe searches to estimate the cheapest fares you should be able to find for your journey.

The cheapest price is the lowest fare we've ever found for this journey. These prices can usually be found by searching when booking opens but they vary due to availability, which depends on factors like the day of the week or time of year.

More popular journeys include 30 day advance and 7 day advance prices. These are updated every two weeks using prices we've found by searching exactly 7 or 30 days from the most recent Thursday (we picked Thursday because this is when average prices are usually found).

30 day and 7 day prices fluctuate based on demand and availability at the time of search. For example, the 7-day price in summer is likely to be more expensive than the same journey in winter.

Prices are sourced in GBP and converted to other currencies using the daily market exchange rate.

We're always seeking to improve how price-checking works, and we welcome feedback on how we can make it better.

More advice about how to find the cheapest tickets can be found in our infographic.

  1. Cheapest Price $24.37
  2. 30 day advance $40.34
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  • First train
    06:04
  • Last train
    22:04
  • Avg changes
    0
  • Fastest journey
    1hr 27m
  • Distance
    130 kilometres
  • Trains per day
    31
  • Avg. journey time
    1hr 36m
  • Train operators

Travelling from Birmingham to Reading by train

Fast trains from Birmingham to Reading take around 1 hour and 27 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 130 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Birmingham and Reading.

1. Are there direct trains from Birmingham to Reading?

Direct trains from Birmingham to Reading have been found.

We usually find around 33 direct trains on the route from Birmingham to Reading every weekday.

There are typically fewer departures at weekends, when we found around 27 departures.

2. How long is the train journey from Birmingham to Reading?

The Birmingham to Reading train travel time is normally about 1 hour and 27 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

3. What are the Birmingham to Reading train times and schedule?

On weekdays the earliest direct train to Reading is usually scheduled to depart Birmingham around 06:04 and the last train is around 22:04. At weekends the first train of the day leaves Birmingham around 06:04, and the last at 21:04.

What's the Birmingham to Reading train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Birmingham to Reading are $24.37.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $40, and when booking 7 days in advance the price is usually the same. Booking on the day of travel may be more expensive.

When to book Birmingham to Reading train tickets?

Trains in the UK usually open for booking around 3 months in advance. If booking is not yet open for your dates then you can set a booking alert to receive an email on the day that the cheapest tickets are released for your journey from Birmingham to Reading by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Birmingham and Reading?

CrossCountry is the train company that operates on the route from Birmingham to Reading.

You can check which train you’ll be travelling on by looking for the train name in search results.

Reading to Birmingham by train

Other journeys to Reading View all journeys to Reading

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Child and youth passengers

The definition of "Child" and "Youth" varies by country and operator. This is why we ask for the age of young passengers.

Sometimes children below a certain age can travel without a seat for free. If you want to guarantee a seat for child passengers, enter '6' as the age of the child.

Read more about child and youth passenger ages. See also youth discounts and railcards.