Changing train stations in Birmingham

Can you post where you are coming from and going to. There may be an alternative routing that avoids changing stations.

New Street and Snow Hill are on opposite sides of the city centre. This would require a tram or a taxi.
There is also Birmingham Moor Street. AFAIK all train that stop at Snow Hill also stop at Moor Street, and Moor Street is nearer to New Street.
See this map, which shows all 3 stations and the tram route: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/52.4809/-1.8970

Is this on your "Edinburgh to The Cotswolds" journey or something else?

Yes, Marco! Very observant! So I'm thinking we will go from Edinburgh to York, 2 nights in York. Then take a train to Stratford Upon Avon and pick up a rental car there. Knock out Stratford Upon Avon while there on the way to Ebrington, just outside of Chipping Campden. Hopefully adjusting to the new driving will be less stressful there than in a larger city. However, the train schedule has us changing stations in Birmingham. They allow us 30 minutes between trains. So if it's only a 5-10 minute walk, we should be OK. We will have carry-on luggage and back packs. We're used to walking!

Or we can take a taxi - even better!

I would concur that going to Moor Street might be the better option - this gives you the extra few minutes for the extra time the train will take to get there itself from Snow Hill, and the walk can be done almost all the way inside, walking through two connected shopping centres if wet. The advantage if you are not short of time in going to Snow Hill is that it is where the trains starts from rather than a stopping point.

No reason to go to Snow Hill if you are arriving at New Street and going on to Stratford-upon-Avon.

While it used to only be once an hour on old non airconditioned trains going the long way, there are now fancy new airconditioned trains which take a much faster route interspersed with the slower (yet also new) which make more stops.

Your ticket from Birmingham will likely be valid on any train (don't get Advance for that segment) so you could easily stop over for a little while in New Street Station for lunch. There is everything in the Grand Central and Bullring Centres both of which you will pass through on the way to Moor Street station. Hamburgers, cheap and expensive, Chinese, Japanese, English, South African cum Portuguese, sandwiches, sushi, salads, burritos (good and mediocre) and everything in between.

When fed make your way up one level to the passageway over the road (it just looks like you are walking indoors to Debenhams department store), follow the path around and take the escalator down one floor in the Bullring and keep walking to the end, down to doors at the end, cross the street using the Green Cross Code, and walk into Moor Street station. If you need to change platforms there is a lift just next to the platform.

Sounds complicated - actually very easy and you will be fed and watered, too.

When we did York-Stratford, we changed at Birmingham from New Street to Moor Street. Very easy walk. I thought the Moor Street station was interesting in itself.

Thank you for the information on the Moors Street station. My search for schedules did not include that one. I will check on that.

Every West Midlands Railways train going to Stratford upon Avon stops at Moor Street station. Some originate at Snow Hill station; most originate further west at other stations such as Stourbridge Junction or Worcester, but other than sometimes making them a few minutes late into Snow Hill, but that won't affect you. There is usually enough dwell time at Snow Hill that when the train leaves again towards Stratford upon Avon it is back on time.

Be ready at Moor Street to get on - the train doesn't stop at Moor Street for long. It comes down a fairly steep hill from Snow Hill and is in a tunnel the whole way so it is pretty quiet and unobtrusive as it arrives at Moor Street. Make sure you are on the correct platform.

There was a comment about the appearance of Moor Street station. It isn't a coincidence that you see a steam engine and 1930s looking signs and atmosphere. Back when I worked through there in the early 2000's it was pretty down at heel, certainly the poor relation in Birmingham. When Chiltern Railways landed a very long term franchise to operate trains between Birmingham and London Marylebone station they wanted a showpiece in Birmingham to match the grandeur of Marylebone. Central Trains was firmly ensconced at Snow Hill so Chiltern went to work on Moor Street and after some difficulties aligning the signalling of the newly rebuilt station and platforms with the network they came on line eventually in 2010. It looks really nice now - like walking into a 1930s Great Western Railway station - with all the mod cons.

Thanks Nigel. When I first walked into Moor Street two years ago, I smiled because it looked and felt just like what I remembered a British rail station looked like in the mid '60s when I was there as a child.

Thank you Nigel, for your description and explanation of Moor Street Station. I MUST transfer through there now! I can't wait to see it!