Broad Street in Birmingham will close to traffic for four days this autumn as the Conservative Party Conference takes over the ICC, running from Sunday 4 October to Wednesday 7 October 2026. The closure, which affects the stretch between Oozells Way and Lyon Queensway, will force National Express West Midlands to reroute several bus services from the start of service on 4 October until 12:30pm on Thursday 8 October, unless the closure lifts earlier.
Which Services Are Affected
Passengers on routes that normally pass through the city centre via Broad Street will notice the biggest changes. Routes 23 and 24 will use Bath Row heading into Birmingham, then run via Clement Street and Stephenson Street behind the library and ICC on the way out. Routes X8, 9, X10, 12 and 13 will come into the city via Stephenson Street and Clement Street, departing instead via Cambridge Street, St Edwards Road and Vincent Street. Route 822 will divert via Five Ways Island, Islington Row Middleway, Bath Row, Holloway Head and Smallbrook Queensway on inbound journeys, while route 829 will travel via Oozells Way, Sheepcote Street, St Vincent Street, King Edwards Road, Cambridge Street and Lyons Queensway heading in. Both 822 and 829 will follow a shared outbound path through Great Charles Street Queensway, Sandpits Parade, Clement Street, St Vincent Street, Sheepcote Street and Oozells Way.
What Stays Normal
Not everything in the city centre will be touched by the closure. Tram services between Wolverhampton and Edgbaston Village will continue to operate as usual throughout the conference period, offering a reliable alternative for anyone whose usual bus route has been rerouted. Rail services are also expected to see little disruption, since the conference crowd is concentrated around the ICC and the immediate Broad Street area rather than across the wider rail network. For commuters and visitors whose journeys don't intersect with the closed section of road, the practical impact should be limited.
Planning Around a Temporary Closure
Large political conferences of this kind routinely bring short-term logistical strain to host cities, and Birmingham's experience follows a familiar pattern: temporary road closures around the conference venue, rerouted bus services, and altered stops nearby. Notices will go up at affected stops explaining the temporary changes, but anyone relying on the usual Broad Street routes should check ahead rather than assume normal timings will hold. National Express has published its own diversion information for the conference period, alongside the operator's general disruption page.
The sensible approach for the four days in question is straightforward: build extra time into any journey through the city centre, and where distances are short, consider walking or cycling rather than waiting on a diverted bus. The closure is time-limited and tied specifically to the conference dates, with services reverting to Broad Street once the road reopens - potentially sooner than Thursday if the closure ends ahead of schedule.