Stations not known by their "official" names?

[The exile]

Nobody in Bristol calls the M32 road by its 1971 'official' name ('The Parkway') after which the station was named as the person I was replying to mentioned. I sometimes perversely call it the 'Hambrook Spur' just to annoy petrolheads. I still think of the M50 as the Ross Spur.

The analogy was of course to The Portway - which very much does still retain its name, even though it is also more prosaically the A4.

 

[contrex]

How the public refer to a station will depend entirely on context

When I was a kid I badgered my mother to take my sister and me to her favourite department store in Peckham by train instead of by bus, so off we marched to Tulse Hill station, and she confidently asked the clerk for 'an adult and two halves to Jones and Higgins'. He knew she needed tickets to Peckham Rye.

 

[The exile]

Nobody in Bristol calls it Bristol Parkway?

I suspect very few do. “Parkway” or “Parkway station” are much more likely. After all, in most places you’d just talk about going to “the station” (or train station if you must) without ever mentioning which one.

 

[contrex]

The analogy was of course to The Portway - which very much does still retain its name, even though it is also more prosaically the A4.

And it's 100 years old next July 7th.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I wonder how many people actually used the full name “Balham and Upper Tooting” when it was called that. It was only renamed in the 50s and despite growing up in Balham I’ve never heard anyone call it that.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I wonder how many people actually used the full name “Balham and Upper Tooting” when it was called that. It was only renamed in the 50s and despite growing up in Balham I’ve never heard anyone call it that.

Think this may actually have been yet another late 1969 name change. A post on Facebook, however (sorry, no link) indicates that tickets were apparently still being sold to the old Balham & Upper Tooting station name in February 1976, over six years later!

 

[tfw756rider]

Personally I don't like the " London" ( Euston, St Pancras International etc) but I understand why it's like that. Why is it not London,London Bridge? Why not put London at the start of any station there to avoid confusing anyone? London Surbiton, London Bromley??)

"London London Bridge" would make no sense, so that will be why it's just London Bridge.

I think the "London" prefix is used for the major terminus stations because those are where it's actually necessary, whereas I doubt many people travelling from outside London would have Surbiton or Bromley as their destination, and if they did, they'd probably have a specific reason for going to a place like that and would know it was in the London area.

 

[contrex]

Think this may actually have been yet another late 1969 name change. A post on Facebook, however (sorry, no link) indicates that tickets were apparently still being sold to the old Balham & Upper Tooting station name in February 1976, over six years later!

Some even later! Some stocks lasted quite a long while.

 

[Western Gaffer]

That's the station I call Finnieston, and then I'm asked if I mean Exhibition Centre. It was originally Stobcross until it closed in 1964 then reopened as Finnieston in 1979 using one of the former platforms.

And was renamed to Exhibition Centre in 1986, so the Finnieston name was only used for seven years prior to the 39 years (and counting) under the current name!

 

[Annetts key]

As already mentioned, in Bristol, Clifton Down is often shortened to just Clifton. This happens with various other station names in the area. So just Stapleton for Stapleton Road, Milton for Weston Milton, Highbridge instead of Highbridge and Burnham and Abbey Wood for Filton Abbey Wood etc.

Railway staff particularly often shorten the name when referring to a train that terminates at a destination station.
So for example, "the Weston" is a train to Weston-super-Mare (note that the official name has a lower case s for super), "the Cardiff" for Cardiff Central, "the Pompey" for Portsmouth Harbour etc.

Although some rarely or never appear to get shortened, such as Lawrence Hill, Sea Mills and Parson Street.

 

[A S Leib]

note that the official name has a lower case s for super

Isn't that generally the case for (English-language) settlement names, e.g. Newcastle upon Tyne, Burton upon Trent, Wells-next-the-Sea?

 

[tfw756rider]

As already mentioned, in Bristol, Clifton Down is often shortened to just Clifton. This happens with various other station names in the area. So just Stapleton for Stapleton Road, Milton for Weston Milton, Highbridge instead of Highbridge and Burnham and Abbey Wood for Filton Abbey Wood etc.

I usually say Filton (if not using the station code FIT), but I'm obviously based outside the North Bristol / South Gloucestershire area, not in it.

 

[Annetts key]

Isn't that generally the case for (English-language) settlement names, e.g. Newcastle upon Tyne, Burton upon Trent, Wells-next-the-Sea?

Yes, but the number of times that organisations get it wrong is rather annoying.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

I usually say Filton (if not using the station code FIT), but I'm obviously based outside the North Bristol / South Gloucestershire area, not in it.

That's understandable given it replaces the now closed Filton station (previously called Filton Junction and before that, just Filton) which is literally a short distance away (the two platforms still exist for Filton Junction).

And of course, the remains of the old Filton North station still exist. And all of this would have been in the heads of many older railway staff.

 

[tfw756rider]

That's understandable given it replaces the now closed Filton station (previously called Filton Junction and before that, just Filton) which is literally a short distance away (the two platforms still exist for Filton Junction).

And of course, the remains of the old Filton North station still exist. And all of this would have been in the heads of many older railway staff.

Thanks, I didn't even know this!

 

[SargeNpton]

Those of advanced years in Northampton will still refer to Castle station, despite it losing that suffix in the mid 1960s.

 

[MadMac]

Some even later! Some stocks lasted quite a long while.
View attachment 185089

Uddingston got lamp diffusers with “Uddingston Central“ several years after East and West had closed. The booking office at Motherwell still had Uddingston (Central) ticket stock in 1978!

 

[urbophile]

Most people just say "Clapham", it's only people on here who get funny about it and say "do you mean Clapham Junction, Clapham (Yorks) or Clapham Common/park)

Clapham Junction isn't in Clapham. Nor is Clapham station, Yorks - it's miles from the village! Clapham High Street (London Overground) and Clapham North, Common and South (London Underground), however, are.

 

[WolvertonWorks]

Leeds City, Sheffield Midland, and Bedford Midland do get used occasionally, I think, despite the 'official' names lacking suffixes.

I still call Rugby "Rugby Midland" - probably from being used to using it quite often in the 50s and 60s when as a child we visited my Aunt who lived in Rugby - I think to distinguish with the other Rugby station closed many years ago.

 

[YorksLad12]

Ah, so Leeds City used to be one of the stations, which may explain why Leeds is still sometimes called Leeds City.

Yes. Over the years there were several Leeds stations. Quick's says that Leeds has been Leeds since 5 May 1975. Oddly, we never had a Leeds Midland station; it was Leeds/Hunslet Lane or Leeds Wellington.

More oddly, the bus station used to be called Leeds Central, then Leeds City, now mostly just Leeds. It's about Ikm away from Leeds City/Central rail stations, on the other side of the city centre...

 

[fat_boy_pete]

This only became an issue when St Botolphs was renamed Colchester Town.

Well up to a point Lord Copper. The road to the main station is named on 19th Century maps, as it is today, as 'North Station Road '

 

[Bill57p9]

I’m not sure this counts, but when you buy a ticket to Balloch, the ticket itself says “Balloch Central”, despite there being no other mention of the station having “Central” in its name, even on the ticket machine!

Balloch Central closed in 1988 (2 years after Balloch Pier), when the current Balloch station opened on the south side of the road.

 

[leightonbd]

I can’t believe I’m the only person from Swansea who still asks for High Street station (it never raises an eyebrow), even though all trace of that name seems to have gone, as indeed have Swansea’s other named stations.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Some years ago there was a Conductor at Manchester Piccadilly who, as his train headed towards Buxton, had abbreviated names for all of the calls between Disley and Buxton as follows: 'Newtown', 'Furness', 'Whaley', 'Chapel', 'Dove' and Buxton - for those not familiar with the route these being New Mills Newtown, Furness Vale, Whaley Bridge, Chapel en le Frith, Dove Holes.

 

[saismee]

The station called Colchester is 1 mile north of the city centre, and is known locally as "North Station".

That name is used by railway staff and it appears on the front of buses, but I don't think it's ever had any official status.

Some tickets get printed as Colchester North. We had more than one confused traveller at Liverpool Street today. Refused to believe that Colchester and Colchester North are the same place!

 

[Huntergreed]

I know of some (elderly) people in Stranraer who still say “Stranraer Harbour” station or simply “Harbour station” (or “the port station”) some of whom still fondly recall the “toon” (town) station from their youth!

Much more the case 10-15 years ago than now admittedly!

 

[thejuggler]

My mum still calls it Sheffield Midland, a habit from when she worked at Sheffiled Midland parcels office.

 

[yorksrob]

Ashford International will always be Ashford Kent to me.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Clapham Junction isn't in Clapham. Nor is Clapham station, Yorks - it's miles from the village! Clapham High Street (London Overground) and Clapham North, Common and South (London Underground), however, are.

To be fair "X Junction" normally means "the junction where you change for X" - in most cases it's not in the actual place or is only on the edge of it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

"London London Bridge" would make no sense, so that will be why it's just London Bridge.

A bit like "Battersea Power Station Station" if usual TfL signage convention had been followed!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

Tavistock North was always referred too almost up until closure by locals , long after Tavistock South closed. Letchworth is another one, they changed the signs years ago to Letchworth Garden City, but everyone still calls it Letchworth. Personally I don't like the " London" ( Euston, St Pancras International etc) but I understand why it's like that. Why is it not London,London Bridge? Why not put London at the start of any station there to avoid confusing anyone? London Surbiton, London Bromley??)

Deutsche Bahn does exactly that on stations that have long distance trains rather than just S-Bahn. So we would have stuff like "London Harrow and Wealdstone" and "London Clapham Junction". Normally for outlying stations the prefix is shown in a smaller font.

And for one more, is it Cark and Cartmel, Cark in Cartmel or just Cark? Nobody seems to know...

 

[Krokodil]

I sometimes have people asking for tickets to "Llanfair" when on a train which stops at both Llanfairpwll and Llanfairfechan. Which one do you want?

 

[Marty82]

Aberdeen was known as Aberdeen Joint Station until 1952 however I, born in the 1980s, have heard it being referred to as "the joint station" in my lifetime!