Stations that should be renamed to a more suitable name.

[Marton]

Alnmouth has become Alnmouth for Alnwick.
It’s in neither and was opened as Bilton.
Should it be renamed?

Great Ayton is nearer Little Ayton.
Egton would be more accurately described as Egton Bridge.

 

[Haywain]

Wales is still part of the United Kingdom though

That’s still further ahead than Stratford or Ebbsfleet in international trains.

 

[zwk500]

That’s still further ahead than Stratford or Ebbsfleet in international trains.

Ebbsfleet has had international trains in the past and in theory will have them again, so renaming would be somewhat premature. Stratford is hypothetically possible to host international trains although almost certainly never will. However I'd leave it with the international suffix as a reminder of the folly of politician's meddling.

 

[Haywain]

However I'd leave it with the international suffix as a reminder of the folly of politician's meddling.

Personally, I wouldn’t make changes to any of them.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Birmingham International hasn't got international train services. Should it have been named Birmingham Airport for NEC or Birmingham South?

I would call it Birmingham Airport (suffix on signs: for the NEC) or Birmingham Airport-NEC. It does leave Resorts World out but it's enough info to know what it serves.

I believe it was considered making this renaming part of the Avanti franchise commitment but it was decided in the end it would cost too much.

When it was named that there were not of course any international train services from the UK bar the Night Ferry.

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Birmingham International Airport > Bickenhill & Elmdon (for Birmingham Airport). (look at local maps)
(or alternatively North Solihull for Airport).

If you're doing that, I'm calling for Ringway Hauptbahnhof and Sipson Aerodrome (not entirely seriously)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Dec 2022 ==

Horwich Parkway > Middlebrook (it is some distance from Horwich, and I don't know if there is still a direct bus service).

Batting back and forth along that line as a student (I generally preferred going back to Aughton Park via Preston as it was more interesting than via Liverpool or the Burscoughs, and I do find it an unsung scenic line with views of Winter Hill, particularly in, er, winter) I remember seeing the stadium being built and thinking a station would be sensible, and when one was built I always assumed it would be called Middlebrook or Middlebrook Stadium. I was astonished to find it being called Horwich Parkway - I get the Parkway bit (big car park) but Horwich isn't much of a destination!

 

[busestrains]

No other country puts "International" (or the equivalent word in their language) in railway station names. All of the various other countries in Mainland Europe do not put "International" at their railway stations served by international trains. There is no need for it. We are the only country to do this. Putting the "International" in the station names is just a silly gimmick. It does not help anyone.

 

[Bletchleyite]

No other country puts "International" (or the equivalent word in their language) in railway station names. All of the various other countries in Mainland Europe do not put "International" at their railway stations served by international trains. There is no need for it. We are the only country to do this. Putting the "International" in the station names is just a silly gimmick. It does not help anyone.

That's because international trains have far more gravity as a thing in the UK. In Germany a high proportion of the Hauptbahnhoefe will have some form of international trains. Whereas in the UK it's single figures.

I get the Birmingham naming (it's international in two ways - the international airport and the international conference centre) but it has been overtaken rather by other events, i.e. the opening of the Eurostar service. It is a shame there's no direct English translation of "Messe" that isn't half a sentence, though you probably would get away with Birmingham Airport-NEC.

 

[778]

Maybe Loughborough Junction could be renamed as Camberwell?

 

[HamworthyGoods]

No other country puts "International" (or the equivalent word in their language) in railway station names. All of the various other countries in Mainland Europe do not put "International" at their railway stations served by international trains. There is no need for it. We are the only country to do this. Putting the "International" in the station names is just a silly gimmick. It does not help anyone.

So how about Lille Europe then? That’s a similar concept to calling it Lille International!

 

[telstarbox]

It won't happen but Denmark Hill is more Camberwell than LJ which is more Brixton East imo.
(Yes there has been one already )

 

[zwk500]

So how about Lille Europe then? That’s a similar concept to calling it Lille International!

Was named in conjunction with the European quarter though as well, so its closer to Birmingham International than any of the HS1 stations.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Maybe Loughborough Junction could be renamed as Camberwell?

That might avoid some wrong ticket sales. It's not in Loughborough and it's not a junction to go to Loughborough, so I've always thought that one a bit odd.

 

[778]

That might avoid some wrong ticket sales. It's not in Loughborough and it's not a junction to go to Loughborough, so I've always thought that one a bit odd.

I wonder if some people (foreign tourists?), think that "The Lakes" station is in the Lake District.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wonder if some people (foreign tourists?), think that "The Lakes" station is in the Lake District.

Good point. (I've actually been there, to look at a used Land Rover ages ago at a garage that used to be there but later went out of business).

I think it would make sense to rename that to "Earlswood Lakes" to avoid any such possible confusion with Oxenholme Lake District. Or alternatively Terry's Green which is the name of the tiny settlement it's actually in.

If you did call it Earlswood Lakes, you'd also want to rename Earlswood. Which is quite hard as it's in the middle of nowhere (and further from Earlswood than The Lakes is). Tanner's Green is the nearest (tiny) settlement so probably that.

The Snow Hill Lines really are a curiosity, aren't they? They're a bit like if you extended Merseyrail all the way to Wrexham or round the Burscough Curves from Ormskirk to Southport - an urban metro that ends up calling at a significant number of utter non-stations. Which makes me wonder - how on earth did that branch of the Snow Hill Lines survive Beeching and not end up terminating at Shirley which is the last bit of the main built up area? It has more non-stations than the Marston Vale does.

 

[Birkonian]

Liverpool South Parkway back to Allerton. I'd prefer the Airport to have its own connection be that heavy or light rail. I live in hope.

Widnes to North Widnes. Nowhere near the Town.

Runcorn to Runcorn Central. More accurate bearing in mind there is an east. Arguably Runcorn East might be better as Murdishaw.

Warrington West to Chapelford. More accurate again. Birchwood was never Warrington East...

Salford Central to Manchester Spinningfields.

Rock Ferry to Tranmere?

Rock Ferry is slap bang in the middle of Rock Ferry. Green Lane is in Lower Tranmere. Off topic - Tranmere Rovers' ground is in Prenton, not Tranmere.

 

[Killingworth]

Edinburgh Waverley, but what about the new station proposed for Waverley between Sheffield and Rotherham, to be built roughly on the site of the 1984 Battle of Orgreave? A new tourist attraction in itself - by accident for misdirected tourists! Maybe call that one Orgreave and Waverley, code WOE.

At the other side of Sheffield Dore & Totley arrived in 1872 (probably nearer Bradway but that was then just a few houses), was shortened to Dore in 1971 and back to Dore & Totley in 2008 - but many railway and local people just call it Dore anyway.

Next station towards Sheffield started life as Abbey Houses, became Beauchief & Abbey Dale and finally just Beauchief.

Without very strong reasons I'd say leave them all as they are.

My home town station was always known as the Central, Newcastle Central.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Had another thought.

Rose Hill Marple -> Marple (Central, possibly, or West?)
Marple -> Marple Bridge

A bit more accurate geographically* and in terms of how people would describe their locations. (I've overheard the likes of "no, Marple Bridge station, not Rose Hill" in conversations).

* Technically it's not Marple Bridge until you cross the river, but if you've ever been there you'll know about the steep, long hill**, so you know which you'd choose for which bit of town if you're on foot! And despite it being "two Jags and a Rangie" land, Marple (Bridge) station doesn't have a massive car park, so most users won't drive there.

** I suspect that that massive hill is the only reason Rose Hill didn't close when the rest of that line did. It has long been a bit of an operational nuisance, though is better served now than it has been in the past and does avoid blocking the lines at Marple Bridge with 1tph of reversal.

 

[Nova1]

Why would you change Stratford-Upon-Avon Parkway to Stratford-Upon-Avon North? It is built as a parkway station with a huge car park next to the park and ride. It's a fair walk from much else except a couple of industrial units. Calling it Stratford-Upon-Avon North would probably confuse more tourists than anything else.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I agree with Southampton, old announcements at Victoria when the guy from the BBC was used as the voice (can't quite recall his name), referred to Southampton Central as just Southampton so it would make sense. I disagree, however, with dropping international from names? It clearly shows this station has international services and some of these suffixes do help distinguishing what kind of station it is, eg, Luton Airport Parkway is a Parkway and so Is Southampton Airport but the Parkway doesn't need to be there as evidenced on the station signs, when it is written as Southampton Airport (Parkway).

Why must one know a station has international services? I'm hardly likely to pass through and think, ooh, Eurostar run here - I might just hop off and take a quick detour via Paris.

Parkway shows that the station is on a main route located just outside of a settlement, so as to advice customers it's a good station to use if they want that settlement, but letting them know they will need to have means of getting between the settlement and that station as it's not reasonably possible by foot.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2022 ==

Why would you change Stratford-Upon-Avon Parkway to Stratford-Upon-Avon North? It is built as a parkway station with a huge car park next to the park and ride. It's a fair walk from much else except a couple of industrial units. Calling it Stratford-Upon-Avon North would probably confuse more tourists than anything else.

Surely it'd be Stratford North. The Upon Avon plus another suffix just makes it a ridiculously unnecessary mouthful. It can always be retained for the main station.

 

[A S Leib]

It's not a station likely to be used often by people who aren't either locals or visiting locals. It and Apsley are almost the same distance from the modern-day town centre (Boxmoor slightly closer), so I guess it's just a case of pick one to have the main service and it was Boxmoor (as Bletchley was before MKC was built).

Agreed, although it is a little strange that the entirety of Hemel station's in Apsley and Corner Hall ward whilst only half of Apsley station is, with the remainder being in Kings Langley, which itself doesn't include Kings Langley Station (mostly in Gade Valley, partially in Abbots Langley and Bedmond). As you said, most people using any of the three know where the stations are though, and Hemel's more descriptive, at least in the absence of a town centre station, than Apsley West.

 

[A0]

A couple of others - Ashwell and Morden between Baldock and Royston - Odsey would be more accurate as that's the closest hamlet.

And how about renaming Harpenden to Luton South ? (runs and hides).

 

[Grumpy]

Parkway clearly indicates a station with lots of car parking and good access to the motorway network. It was a concept pioneered by Bristol Parkway in 1972 and subsequently replicated elsewhere.

No. As pioneered at New Pudsey

 

[Western Lord]

Okay, but it’s not in Yeovil, so calling it Yeovil Junction - the junction station in Yeovil - is somewhat inaccurate. The OP seems to have a vendetta against the Parkway suffice, but in this scenario Yeovil Parkway would work well.

So, by this reasoning you would have to rename Clapham Junction, which is not in Clapham

 

[zwk500]

So, by this reasoning you would have to rename Clapham Junction, which is not in Clapham

To 'that station you change at' perhaps?

South Battersea may have more of a ring to it. Although I dread to think how many millions that change will require.

 

[PTR 444]

Surely it'd be Stratford North. The Upon Avon plus another suffix just makes it a ridiculously unnecessary mouthful. It can always be retained for the main station.

That might conflict with Stratford in London though, particularly if International is renamed.

 

[zwk500]

That might conflict with Stratford in London though, particularly if International is renamed.

Stratford Interchange/General and Stratford Javelin/Olympic for the London Stations, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Stratford North for the Warwickshire town is fairly reasonable.

Regardless, none of these renamings are actually going to happen. It will cost millions per change, at a time when getting much more than a dog treat out of the treasury is a losing battle.

 

[Bletchleyite]

So, by this reasoning you would have to rename Clapham Junction, which is not in Clapham"

"X Junction" means the junction for X, not the junction in X. Several have sprung up a town named after the junction.

 

[zwk500]

"X Junction" means the junction for X, not the junction in X. Several have sprung up a town named after the junction.

Although Clapham Junction has only recently actually become the junction for Clapham, since the ELL extension.
Clapham was chosen purely because it had a nicer reputation than Battersea at the time.

 

[LWB]

Cark and Cartmel -> Cark and Flookburgh.

The totems at this station have been a simple ‘Cark’ for quite some years now.

 

[Basil Jet]

I'm not surprised in the slightest! You're not seriously telling me you thought the railway would simply rename a station because one person emails them and says "this name is better!"

Obviously there is no guarantee that a single email will result in the suggested action, but a reply that said "No because" would have been better than nothing. It looks like they couldn't think of a reason not to do what I suggested, but just not done it. And I'm still surprised that TfL was happy to acquire a second Bethnal Green station, along with older pairings like the Edgware Roads.