Direct trains from Lichfield Trent Valley reach London Euston in 1h16, and the cheapest annual season is £8,360. Times, fares, and the cheaper station car park.
Lichfield has two stations a mile apart and they do different jobs. Lichfield Trent Valley sits on the West Coast Main Line and has direct trains to London Euston. Lichfield City is on the Cross-City line and is the one most people actually commute from, because most people here commute to Birmingham, not to London. This page covers both, with the fares and the parking, because the parking is where the money quietly goes.
London: how long it takes
Direct trains run from Lichfield Trent Valley to London Euston, a distance of about 107 miles. According to Trainline, the fastest services do it in 1 hour 16 minutes, the average journey takes 1 hour 42 minutes, and there are around 43 direct trains a day.
The spread between fastest and average is 26 minutes, which is larger than it looks on a commute. The Trent Valley line carries both semi-fast services that skip most stops and slower ones that call everywhere between here and Northampton, so the train you catch matters more than the timetable headline. Check the individual departure rather than assuming the fast one.
Lichfield Trent Valley is also served by Avanti West Coast, which lists Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central among its destinations from the station alongside London Euston and Birmingham New Street.
What a season ticket costs
There are two different London seasons sold from Lichfield and the price gap between them is £5,652 a year. Both are priced identically from Lichfield City and Lichfield Trent Valley.
| Ticket | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| To London Euston, London Northwestern and West Midlands Railway only | £209.00 | £802.60 | £8,360.00 |
| To London Travelcard zones 1–6, same operators only | £273.80 | £1,051.40 | £10,952.00 |
| To London Terminals, any permitted route | £376.40 | £1,345.20 | £14,012.00 |
The cheap ticket ties you to London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services. The expensive one lets you board anything, including Avanti, and is the one to buy only if you genuinely need that flexibility. The middle ticket is the cheap one plus a zones 1 to 6 Travelcard, and the difference between them, £2,592 a year, is what that Tube and bus travel is costing you as an add-on.
Birmingham is the commute most people here are actually making
From Lichfield City to Birmingham New Street is 14 miles. Trainline puts the fastest journey at 35 minutes, the average at 38 minutes, with around 36 trains a day. The season ticket, valid from either Lichfield station and by any permitted route, is £39.10 a week, £150.20 a month or £1,564 a year.
What it means for you: a London season costs between five and nine times a Birmingham one from the same platform. If you are weighing a move here against a job in either city, that difference is worth more than most of the price gap between houses in Lichfield and Burntwood, which our house prices page sets out.
The two stations, and their parking
This is where Lichfield has a genuine local trick. The station car park at Trent Valley is run commercially. The council long-stay car park by Lichfield City station is not.
| Car park | Spaces | All day | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lichfield Trent Valley station | 212 (8 accessible) | £11.00 (£8.50 off-peak and weekends) | £864.30 |
| Birmingham Road (train station), council long stay | — | £4.00 | — |
| Lichfield City station | 53 (2 accessible) | — | — |
The Trent Valley car park also sells weekly at £37.00 and monthly at £108.10, and has two electric vehicle charging points. The council’s Birmingham Road long stay next to Lichfield City is £1.50 for four hours, £2.50 for six and £4.00 all day, which over a five-day week is £20 against £55 at Trent Valley. If your train is the Cross-City service, the cheaper option is the obvious one. If you need the direct London train, you are paying for the platform you park on.
Ticket offices. Lichfield Trent Valley is open 06:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday and 07:00 to 16:00 on Saturday, closed on Sunday. Lichfield City is open 06:00 to 19:00 Monday to Thursday, 06:00 to 20:00 on Friday, 07:00 to 20:00 on Saturday and 09:00 to 19:00 on Sunday. Both stations have step-free access to all platforms and lifts. National Rail currently flags that all toilets at Lichfield City are out of order, so check before you rely on them.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the train take from Lichfield to London?
The fastest direct service from Lichfield Trent Valley to London Euston takes 1 hour 16 minutes, and the average journey is 1 hour 42 minutes, according to Trainline. There are around 43 direct trains a day.
Is there a direct train from Lichfield to London?
Yes, from Lichfield Trent Valley, which is on the West Coast Main Line. Lichfield City is on the Cross-City line to Birmingham, so most journeys to London from there involve a change.
How much is an annual season ticket from Lichfield to London?
£8,360 for the ticket valid on London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services only, £10,952 if you add a zones 1 to 6 Travelcard, and £14,012 for the any-permitted-route ticket that also covers Avanti. Prices are the same from either Lichfield station.
How long is the train from Lichfield to Birmingham?
Lichfield City to Birmingham New Street is 14 miles and takes 35 minutes on the fastest trains, with around 36 trains a day. An annual season is £1,564.
Where is the cheapest parking for Lichfield station?
The council’s Birmingham Road long-stay car park by Lichfield City station is £4.00 all day. The Trent Valley station car park is £11.00 a day, or £8.50 off-peak and at weekends.
Which Lichfield station do I need?
Trent Valley for direct London Euston trains and for Avanti West Coast services north. City for Birmingham New Street and the Cross-City line through Sutton Coldfield. The two are about a mile apart and both are on the Cross-City line, so you can travel between them by train.
Sources
- Trainline, Lichfield Trent Valley to London Euston and Lichfield City to Birmingham New Street for journey times, distances and service counts.
- Trainline season tickets, Lichfield to London and Lichfield to Birmingham for weekly, monthly and annual prices.
- National Rail, Lichfield Trent Valley and Lichfield City for parking spaces, ticket office hours and station facilities.
- Avanti West Coast, Lichfield Trent Valley for station car park tariffs and destinations served.
- Lichfield District Council, Lichfield city car parks for the council long-stay tariff.
Fares change every March and timetables change twice a year. Checked August 2026. Roadworks that affect getting to either station are on our Lichfield roadworks and travel page.
Have your say
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