Five Ways railway station is a railway station serving the Five Ways and Lee Bank areas of Birmingham, England. It is situated on the Cross-City Line. The original Five Ways station operated between 1885 and 1944. The station was reopened in 1978 when the Cross-City line services were created. History The original station was opened in 1885 by the Midland Railway, when the Birmingham West Suburban Railway (BWSR) was extended into Birmingham New Street. It fell prey to competition from local bus services, and services were suspended in 1944, as a wartime economy measure, under the auspices of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The closure was made permanent by British Railways in 1950. Alongside the station was the spur line leading to station. The junction to this line was just south of Five Ways. The spur was part of the original alignment of the BWSR, leading to its original terminus at . Following the closure of Granville Street in 1885, the spur line was extended to run to Central Goods station, which remained open until the late 1960s. Reopening The station was rebuilt and reopened in 1978 to the designs of the architect John Broome as part of the creation of the Cross-City Line services. Built with its main entrance on Islington Row Middleway. British Rail also carried out electrification of the lines through the station in 1993. Ticket barriers were installed at the start of 2009 and became operational shortly before the end of April in the same year. The station achieved a milestone in 2009–10 by having over 1 million "entries and exits", as denoted by ticket sales. Local attractions Five Ways is the nearest railway station to Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston Cricket Ground and the Birmingham Oratory. Services The station is served by West Midlands Trains local "Cross-City" services between and Lichfield, operated by Class 323 electrical multiple units. Trains operate every 10 minutes during Monday-Saturday daytimes, every 10–20 minutes Monday-Saturday evenings, and every 30 minutes on Sundays. Connections The station is an interchange for trams at Five Ways tram stop on the West Midlands Metro, which is approximately away, roughly an eight minute walk. References External links Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Five Ways railway station Railways of Warwickshire entry Railway stations in Birmingham, West Midlands DfT Category D stations Former Midland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1885 Railway