National Express West Midlands Birmingham Inner Circle
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham Inner Circle is a roughly circular bus
route in Birmingham
, England
. It follows the city's inner ring road with some small deviations on parts of the route.
, buses on the 8 travel both anti-clockwise (8A) and clockwise (8C). The service is operated by National Express West Midlands
with Mercedes-Benz O405N single deck buses, several of which are branded for the Inner Circle. It is one of very few bus routes which is guaranteed to be operated by a Mercedes-Benz 0405N, due to that bus being the only allocation at the garage. Prior to operating from Bordesley depot
(located next to National Express West Midlands
headquarters) the 8 was operated by the now demolished Hockley depot; This meant that it was not unusual for it to have MCW Metrobus
es and Volvo B7TL
Plaxton President
s operating on it. The service is mainly run commercially, however early morning Sunday journeys are subsidised by Centro
.
In 2004, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre staged the musical "Ridin' The Number 8" by Lauren Hornsby and Euan Rose, in which a cast of 'Brummie' characters board an Inner Circle bus and reminisce about the people and places they encounter along the route.
. Opposite direction for clockwise)
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
route in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It follows the city's inner ring road with some small deviations on parts of the route.
Present
Like the Outer Circle service 11Birmingham Outer Circle
The Birmingham Outer Circle is a roughly circular, 27 mile bus route in Birmingham, England . It mainly follows the city's outer ring road, the A4040 with some small deviations to serve some rail stations and shopping areas. Buses on the Outer Circle are numbered 11C on the clockwise journey and...
, buses on the 8 travel both anti-clockwise (8A) and clockwise (8C). The service is operated by National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
with Mercedes-Benz O405N single deck buses, several of which are branded for the Inner Circle. It is one of very few bus routes which is guaranteed to be operated by a Mercedes-Benz 0405N, due to that bus being the only allocation at the garage. Prior to operating from Bordesley depot
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
(located next to National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
headquarters) the 8 was operated by the now demolished Hockley depot; This meant that it was not unusual for it to have MCW Metrobus
MCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
es and Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
Plaxton President
Plaxton President
The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...
s operating on it. The service is mainly run commercially, however early morning Sunday journeys are subsidised by Centro
West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
.
In 2004, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre staged the musical "Ridin' The Number 8" by Lauren Hornsby and Euan Rose, in which a cast of 'Brummie' characters board an Inner Circle bus and reminisce about the people and places they encounter along the route.
Route
(Anti -clockwise from Saltley Gate, Alum RockAlum Rock, Birmingham
Alum Rock is an inner-city suburb of Birmingham, England, located roughly 2 miles east of Birmingham city centre...
. Opposite direction for clockwise)
- Saltley Gate/ Alum Rock interchange
- NechellsNechellsNechells is an area in inner-city Birmingham, England, with a population of 27,969 . It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centre, which are not part of the historic district of Nechells as such...
- NewtownNewtown, BirminghamNewtown is an inner city area of Birmingham, England, to the north of the city centre. It is located in the Aston council ward, in the council constituency of Ladywood. The housing in the area is made up of a number of tower blocks, maisonettes and terraced houses.Newtown is centred around the busy...
interchange (A34A34 roadThe A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A6042 in Salford to Winchester in Hampshire. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester...
) - Hockley interchange
- Jewellery QuarterJewellery QuarterThe Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
- Five WaysFive Ways, BirminghamFive Ways is an area of Birmingham, England. It takes its name from a major road junction, now a busy roundabout to the south-west of the city centre which lies at the outward end of Broad Street, where the Birmingham Middle ring road crosses the start of the A456 .-History:The name of Five Ways...
interchange (Broad Street, BirminghamBroad Street, BirminghamBroad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...
) - Lee BankLee BankLee Bank is an inner city area of Birmingham, England. It is part of the Edgbaston and Ladywood wards, inside the Middle Ring Road, near to the centre of Birmingham...
- HighgateHighgateHighgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
- SparkbrookSparkbrookSparkbrook is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, England. It is one of the four wards forming the Hall Green formal district within Birmingham City Council.-Etymology:...
interchange - Small HeathSmall Heath, BirminghamSmall Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
interchange - BordesleyBordesley, West MidlandsBordesley is an area of Birmingham, England and is part of the City's Nechells Ward.It is served by Bordesley railway station.It should not be confused with nearby Bordesley Green.-Notable residents :...
interchange - Saltley Gate/ Alum Rock interchange