Solihull to London Trains: 1h47 Direct, or £33.50 Return

Solihull has a choice most commuter towns do not: a direct Chiltern Railways train that ambles into London Marylebone in just under two hours, or a ten-minute hop into Birmingham and the fast West Coast line to Euston. One saves time, the other saves serious money, and this page sets out both with verified times and fares, plus what parking at the station actually costs.

The quick answer

Direct trains from Solihull run to London Marylebone with Chiltern Railways, roughly hourly through the day, taking 1 hour 47 minutes to 2 hours 6 minutes in the weekday timetable we checked (Monday 10 August 2026, via the National Rail journey planner). The first direct trains of the weekday morning leave at 05:23 (arriving 07:10), 05:54 and 06:23; the last comfortable direct return-day option down is the 21:24, arriving Marylebone 23:15. Later departures need one to three changes.

Walk-up, an Off-Peak Return via High Wycombe is £63.60, barely more than the £62.60 single; a Super Off-Peak Return is £40.00, and Advance singles on the trains we sampled started at £50 for peak-time departures, with Chiltern advertising Advance fares from £6.40 one way at the far end of the booking window.

Marylebone or Euston: the real decision

The alternative is to take the frequent local train to Birmingham Moor Street (9 to 10 minutes), walk eight minutes to New Street, and catch a fast train to Euston. Door to door that took 2h04m at best in the journeys we sampled, and often nearer three hours, but the fares restricted to the slow operators are much cheaper: a Super Off-Peak Return “WMR & LNR only” is £33.50, with Advance singles from £17.

Weekday direct trains to Marylebone

From the Monday timetable we sampled on the National Rail journey planner:

• Early: 05:23 → 07:10 (1h47m), 05:54 → 07:46 (1h52m), 06:23 → 08:10 (1h47m).
• Morning: 08:25 → 10:22 (1h57m), 08:55 → 10:45 (1h50m).
• Evening: 19:24 → 21:30 (2h06m), 20:26 → 22:27 (2h01m), and the last direct at 21:24 → 23:15 (1h51m). The 21:29 needs a change and gets in at 23:56; anything later means two or three changes via Euston or Paddington.

Chiltern’s Mainline trains from Birmingham call at Solihull, then typically Warwick, Leamington Spa and Banbury on the way south. Trainline’s summary page claims a fastest time of 1h38m and 46 trains a day; in the timetable we actually checked, 1h47m was the fastest direct run, so treat the headline claims with caution and check a live journey planner for your travel day.

What tickets cost

Walk-up fares on the direct route (all “via High Wycombe” unless stated, as listed on the National Rail planner, August 2026):

• Off-Peak Single £62.60, Off-Peak Return £63.60: the return costs £1 more than the single, so almost nobody should buy the single.
• Super Off-Peak Single £39.90, Super Off-Peak Return £40.00 on the quietest trains.
• Anytime Day Single £92.20, Anytime Return £197.00; an Anytime Day Travelcard is £220.60 if you need the Tube too.
• Advance singles from £50 on the peak trains we sampled, falling to £6.40 at the cheapest when booked well ahead.
• The Off-Peak Day Travelcard at £72.00 adds all-day London transport for £8.40 over the plain return.

Season tickets, as published on Trainline’s season ticket checker (8 August 2026):

The gap is the whole story: £7,360 a year on the slow route against £11,008 on the Chiltern route, and £13,860 for the freedom to use any train. A hybrid many commuters use: season on the cheap route, Advance singles on Chiltern for the days that matter.

The ten-minute commute the other way

Most Solihull rail journeys are not to London at all. Trains to Birmingham Moor Street take 9 to 10 minutes direct (Snow Hill 18 minutes), running every 10 to 15 minutes for much of the day in the sample we checked on the journey planner. Walk-up fares are £4.80 Anytime Day Single, £7.50 Anytime Day Return, £5.90 Off-Peak Day Return, with Chiltern advertising singles from £3.90.

Dorridge and Widney Manor

Dorridge has its own direct Marylebone trains (we observed a 14:00 → 15:45, 1h45m, on the planner) and a free 104-space station car park, which makes it the value railhead for the south of the borough. Widney Manor had no direct London trains in our sample; the fastest option was a change at Dorridge, about 2h03m all in. Both stations, like Olton, are on the same Birmingham-bound stopping pattern.

At Solihull station

From Chiltern’s station page: the station (Station Approach, B91 1LE) is staffed full time, with the ticket office open 05:35 to midnight on weekdays, a waiting room and toilets between platforms 1 and 2, wifi, help points, 30 sheltered cycle stands and step-free access to all platforms via lifts (Category A). The X12 bus runs from the station to Birmingham Airport every 20 minutes.

Parking: 446 spaces, run by Excel Parking Services for Transport for West Midlands since July 2024, so you can no longer pay at the ticket office. Charges: £6.00 daily, £3.50 off-peak, £22.50 weekly, £3.50 on Saturdays and Sundays; pay at the machines, by phone (0345 434 8008, location code 5454) or via the SwiftParking or Connect Cashless apps. Blue Badge holders pay. Solihull is one of only four stations in the TfWM area where station parking is charged at all, per Transport for West Midlands; for roads, closures and the airport works around the station, see our Solihull roadworks and travel page.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the train from Solihull to London?

1 hour 47 minutes to about 2 hours 6 minutes direct to Marylebone with Chiltern Railways, in the weekday timetable we checked on the National Rail journey planner. Routing via Birmingham New Street to Euston is rarely quicker door to door: 2h04m at best in our sample.

How much is a return from Solihull to London?

Walk-up, £63.60 Off-Peak Return (only £1 more than the single) or £40.00 Super Off-Peak Return via High Wycombe. Restricted to the slower Euston route, a Super Off-Peak Return is £33.50. Advance singles start at £6.40 booked early, £50 on the peak trains we sampled.

What time is the first train from Solihull to London?

05:23 on weekday mornings, arriving Marylebone 07:10, followed by the 05:54 and 06:23, in the Monday timetable we checked. The last direct train back-friendly departure from Solihull is the 21:24, arriving 23:15.

How much is a season ticket from Solihull to London?

£11,008 a year to London Terminals via the Chiltern route, or £7,360 restricted to London Northwestern and West Midlands Railway trains into Euston, per Trainline’s season data. Travelcard versions add roughly £1,300 a year.

Is parking free at Solihull station?

No. Solihull is one of the four charged station car parks in the TfWM area: £6.00 a day, £22.50 a week, £3.50 off-peak and at weekends, across 446 spaces. Dorridge’s 104-space car park is free, which is worth knowing if you are driving from Knowle or Dorridge anyway.

Do London trains stop at Widney Manor or Olton?

Not directly, in the timetable we sampled. Widney Manor’s fastest London option was a change at Dorridge; Olton is on the Birmingham stopping services. Dorridge does have direct Marylebone trains.

Sources

• National Rail journey planner (traintimes.org.uk): Solihull to London, Monday timetable for direct times, first/last trains and walk-up fares; Solihull to Birmingham, Dorridge to London and Widney Manor to London for the local pattern.
• Chiltern Railways: Solihull station for station facilities, car park operator and charges, the X12 airport bus and advertised Advance fares; Dorridge station for the free car park.
• Trainline: Solihull to London season tickets for weekly, monthly and annual prices, and its train times page for the route summary.
• National Rail: Solihull station, Widney Manor and Olton for station management and car park sizes.
• Transport for West Midlands: park and ride for which station car parks are charged.

Times and fares were checked on 8 August 2026 against the Monday 10 August timetable; timetables change each May and December and fares each March, so confirm on a live journey planner before you travel.