Midlands Railways

Birmingham New Street is one of the busiest stations outside London, with Avanti West Coast Pendolinos heading north to Manchester and Glasgow, CrossCountry services reaching Edinburgh and Penzance, and West Midlands Railway running dense local networks.

Derby is a railway town in the truest sense — Bombardier (now Alstom) builds trains there, and the city's station has been a junction since the dawn of the railway age. Nearby Crewe still acts as one of Britain's most important rail crossroads.

Heritage attractions in the region include the Severn Valley Railway, the Great Central Railway, and the National Tramway Museum at Crich. Don't miss the Royal Crescent and the steam-era street scenes at Locomotion in Shildon.