Interchange - M42 J6

Solihull will be home to the new HS2 Interchange Station. Close to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Birmingham Airport - it will be a major gateway station for the West Midlands region, connecting passengers to Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester city centres.

HS2 will begin running between 2029 and 2033 when the section between London and the West Midlands is complete, and services will expand as new sections of the network are built.

There will be several essential road closures and disruptions required to help facilitate the building of HS2 in this area over the coming years.

Alongside the HS2 related works, National Highways are progressing with the £282m improvement project M42 junction 6. The project is designed to increase capacity and reduce congestion, improve access to Birmingham Airport and other key businesses and improve access for cyclists and walkers.

Check back to these pages for the latest information and travel advice.

Click here for more information about M42/M6 Link road closure

Click here for more information about the M42 junction 6 improvement scheme

Plan ahead using the TfWM Journey Planner and the National Highways Traffic Map.

In order to prepare for construction of a new HS2 railway bridge the M42 Northbound between J6 (NEC) & J7A (M6 South Link) and M42 Southbound between J7 (M6 North link) and J6 (NEC) will be closed for three weekends from

• 9pm on Friday 1 November until 5am on Monday 4 November.
• 9pm on Friday 6 December until 5am on Monday 9 December.
• 9pm on Friday 13 December until 5am on Monday 16 December.

 Diversions will be in place using the motorway and local road network as below:

M42 Northbound Diversion

• Leave at M42 J6 and travel Eastbound on the A45, take the first exit and head northbound on the A446 and re-join at M42 J9.

M42 Southbound Diversion

• Diversion via A Road - Southbound traffic can exit at J9 and travel southbound on the A446 to M6 J4 Island, take the second exit to continue southbound on the A446 to Stonebridge Island, take the third exit onto the A45 westbound and re-join the M42 at J6. This diversion route is the most direct route to the NEC, Birmingham Airport and Resorts World.
• Diversion via Motorway - Road users wishing to remain on the motorway network can exit the M42 southbound via M6 southbound link, exit at J3 and take the fourth exit back onto the M6 northbound, down to exit on J4 taking the first exit onto the A446 southbound to Stonebridge Island, take the third exit onto the A45 Westbound and re-join the M42 at J6.