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8
National Express West Midlands Scania OmniLink 1829 passes Hockley Circus
Overview
Operator	National Express West Midlands
Garage	Perry Barr
Vehicle	Scania OmniLink
Route
Start	Saltley or Bordesley Green
Via	Birmingham Inner Ring Road
End	Saltley or Bordesley Green

West Midlands Bus route 8, also known as the Birmingham Inner Circle, is a roughly circular bus route in Birmingham, England. It follows the city's middle ring road with some small deviations on parts of the route. The service dates back to the days of Birmingham City Transport.

Present

Like the Outer Circle service 11, buses on the 8 travel both anti-clockwise (8A) and clockwise (8C). The service is operated by National Express West Midlands with Scania OmniLink single deck buses, and was formerly operated by Mercedes-Benz O405N buses, several of which were branded for the Inner Circle.

In 2004, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre staged the musical "Ridin' The Number 8" by Laurie 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.

In October 2020, the 8 transferred to Perry Barr garage upon the closure of Bordesley; where the routes had been operated since 2005.

Route

(Anti-clockwise from Saltley Gate, Alum Rock. Opposite direction for clockwise)

• Saltley Gate/ Alum Rock interchange
• Nechells
• Newtown interchange (A34)
• Hockley interchange
• Jewellery Quarter
• Five Ways interchange (Broad Street, Birmingham)
• Lee Bank
• Highgate
• Sparkbrook interchange
• Small Heath interchange
• Bordesley interchange
• Saltley Gate/ Alum Rock interchange

References

1. ^ "Network West Midlands - Timetable search". jp.networkwestmidlands.com.
2. West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive, existence of both Birmingham circular routes 11 and 8.
3. National Express West Midlands, buses used on route 8 are from the Bordsley Depot
4. "Birmingham Rep Show Page". Archived from the original on 19 June 2004.

Further reading

M.Hanson, D. Harvey and P. Drake The Inner Circle - Birmingham's No. 8 Bus Route. Tempus 2002.

External links

• Travel West Midlands website

v t e Transport in the West Midlands
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) Swift card
Airports	Birmingham Airport Coventry Airport Wolverhampton Airport
Buses	Operators Arriva Midlands Diamond West Midlands First Midland Red Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel National Express Coventry National Express West Midlands Stagecoach Travel Express Bus operators in the West Midlands Routes 8A/8C Inner Circle 11A/11C Outer Circle 50 Coventry Park and Ride X8 X10 Bus routes in the West Midlands Stations Bearwood Halesowen Coventry (Pool Meadow) Cradley Heath Interchange Birmingham Coach Station Dudley Merry Hill Stourbridge Interchange Walsall (St Paul's) Wednesbury West Bromwich Wolverhampton bus station Bus stations in the West Midlands
Canals	Branches Anson Bradley Bumble Hole Digbeth Gower Netherton Tunnel Ridgacre Spon Lane Locks Canals BCN Main Line Bentley Birmingham and Fazeley Birmingham Canal Navigations Dudley Engine Arm Pensnett Rushall Tame Valley Tipton Green and Toll End Titford Walsall Wednesbury Old Wyrley and Essington Junctions Aldersley Aston Birchills Birmingham and Warwick Bordesley Bromford Catshill Horseley Fields Kings Norton Old Turn Pelsall Rushall Salford Smethwick Spon Lane Tame Valley Loops Icknield Port Soho Wednesbury Oak Other Engine Arm Aqueduct Stewart Aqueduct Gas Street Basin Delph Locks Kings Norton Stop Lock Dudley Tunnel Lapal Tunnel Wast Hills Tunnel Canals in the West Midlands
Cycling	National Cycle Route 5 National Cycle Route 54 West Midlands Cycle Hire
Rail	Light Rail Trams West Midlands Metro Tram stops Rolling stock National Express Midland Metro (1999-2018) VLR Coventry Very Light Rail High Speed Rail Stations Birmingham Curzon Street Birmingham Interchange Lines HS2 Suburban Rail Stations Birmingham Moor Street New Street Snow Hill Birmingham International Coventry Wolverhampton Sandwell & Dudley Solihull Walsall List of open railway stations Lines Birmingham Loop Birmingham–Worcester line Camp Hill line Chase Line Chiltern Main Line Coventry–Leamington line Coventry–Nuneaton line Cross-City Line Shakespeare Line Snow Hill Lines Stourbridge Town branch line West Coast Main Line Operators Avanti West Coast (2019-present) Chiltern Railways (1996-present) CrossCountry (2007-present) Transport for Wales (2020-present) West Midlands Trains (2017-present) Arriva Trains Wales (2003-2018) British Rail (1948-1997) Central Trains (1997-2007) First North Western (1997-2004) KeolisAmey Wales (2018-2020) London Midland (2007-2017) Silverlink (1997-2007) Virgin CrossCountry (1997-2007) Virgin Trains West Coast (1997-2019) Wales & Borders (2001-2004) Wales & West (1996-2001)
Roads	Major Roads A34 A38 A41 A45 A47 A435 A456 A5127 European route E05 European route E24 Motorways A38(M) (Aston Expressway) M5 motorway M6 motorway Ring Roads A4400 (Queensway, Inner Ring Road) A4540 (Middleway, Middle Ring Road) A4040 (Outer Circle, Outer Ring Road)
Other	Aston Manor Road Transport Museum Coventry Transport Museum The Transport Museum, Wythall Tyseley Locomotive Works
See also: Transport in Birmingham - Transport in Coventry - Transport in Wolverhampton

• Bus routes in the West Midlands (county)
• Circular bus routes
• National Express West Midlands bus routes