Station names on the UK rail network that you would change

[Moritzplatz]

Maybe Chester Road could be renamed Wylde Green, as its actually next to Wylde Green shops and the actual Wylde Green could be renamed Boldmere as thats closer to there. Probably annoy some folks though.

Yes, I grew up in nearby Walmley and we always referred to the shops next to Chester Road station as the Wylde Green shops. So whenever I left a phone message to ask my Dad to pick me up off the train "at Wylde Green", I was never 100% sure which station he'd turn up at.

As another forum user has suggested though, changing the name of Wylde Green station to the more accurate 'Boldmere' and then Chester Road station to 'Wylde Green' has the potential to cause even more confusion (in the short term, at least).

 

[birchesgreen]

Yes, I grew up in nearby Walmley and we always referred to the shops next to Chester Road station as the Wylde Green shops. So whenever I left a phone message to ask my Dad to pick me up off the train "at Wylde Green", I was never 100% sure which station he'd turn up at.

As another forum user has suggested though, changing the name of Wylde Green station to the more accurate 'Boldmere' and then Chester Road station to 'Wylde Green' has the potential to cause even more confusion (in the short term, at least).

Well any change causes confusion but people soon get used to it to be honest.

 

[Magdalia]

Highgate Harriers’ Athletics Track and the open space around it is used for various cross country races and is known as Parliament Hill.

Camden Council run the athletics track, which they call Parliament Hill Fields Athletics Track:

https://cindex.camden.gov.uk/kb5/camden/cd/service.page?id=LFx4AjDp6aM

Parliament Hill Fields Athletics Track​

8-lane synthetic 400 metres track. Synthetic surfaced run-up and take-off areas for field events. Floodlights. Class 1 facility meeting specifications and requirements for all competitions under UK athletic rules.

Corporation of London run the lido which they call Parliament Hill lido:

Parliament Hill Lido

parliamenthilllido.org

Parliament Hill Lido​

OPEN AIR-All Year​

 

[Ashley Hill]

I would suggest the yet to open Pineapple Road on the Camp Hill line sounds meaningless to anyone outside the area. Stirchley would be far better as it’s an actual area. Interestingly Google maps shows Pineapple Road as open!

 

[Farang]

Clapham Junction to Battersea Junction because it's in Battersea, not Clapham.

 

[Mr. SW]

Clapham Junction to Battersea Junction because it's in Battersea, not Clapham.

The boat has long sailed, unfortunately. It could be Lavender Hill.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Because of its fame Clapham Jct is very unlikely to ever change.

 

[William3000]

That's what most people call it anyway, its station code is even SAC and it appears on the Worldline CIS as St Albans City. Just not *quite* everywhere.

"Road" or "Parkway" as a suffix has historically been used to indicate that a station is near to, but not in the named place.

Road simply means it’s on the road in that city or town in most places

Derby Road (Ipswich)
Stapleton Road (Bristol)
Mauldeth Road (Manchester)
Chassen Road (Trafford)

 

[Class15]

Take a look at an Ordnance Survey Map. All of the area north of the lido and the athletics track, and west of Highgate Ponds, is Parliament Hill Fields.

Hampstead Heath is further north west, near Kenwood House and Spaniards Inn.

An ordnance survey map is a bit misleading here, as it doesn’t reflect the actual opinions and culture of the area.

If your definition of Hampstead Heath is correct, then the current Hampstead Heath station is poorly named, surely?

 

[Peter0124]

Newton (Lanarkshire) to Cambuslang East. There's atleast 10 stations across the UK with Newton in it.

 

[zwk500]

Possibly true, but surely Wolverton should also have been renamed? Much more potential for confusion since they are both on the WCML (or branches of).

There is extremely small chance of confusion given that direct services from Wolverton do not go beyond Birmingham New Street ordinarily.

Wolverton appears to be situated in between Wolverton and New Bradwell.

As a former resident of Wolverton, the station is 100% in Wolverton (just on the edge). There's flats as part of the old works abutting the down fast platform. New Bradwell is the other side of V6 Grafton Street.

 

[Magdalia]

An ordnance survey map is a bit misleading here, as it doesn’t reflect the actual opinions and culture of the area.

I don't live there but I've visited many times spread over half a century. The ordnance survey map is not misleading, it correctly reflects the distinction between Parliament Hill Fields and Hampstead Heath.

If your definition of Hampstead Heath is correct, then the current Hampstead Heath station is poorly named, surely?

The station called Hampstead Heath is near to the bottom end of East Heath Road. It is much nearer to Hampstead Heath than the station called Gospel Oak, and nearer to Hampstead Heath than any other station.

 

[Captain Bigwig]

I'm probably going to put the cat among the pigeons by saying this, but it would be nice if the official name of "Edinburgh" could be changed to "Edinburgh Waverley". It's called that almost everywhere anyway!

 

[Farang]

The boat has long sailed, unfortunately. It could be Lavender Hill.

Ooh I do like that idea, but you're right about the boat having departed.

 

[IanXC]

New Pudsey = Pudsey (or Pudsey and Farsley)

The station was Pudsey's "new station", opened on 6 March 1967.

I think it may have now completed its "run in period".

 

[Bletchleyite]

Possibly true, but surely Wolverton should also have been renamed? Much more potential for confusion since they are both on the WCML (or branches of).

Wolverton appears to be situated in between Wolverton and New Bradwell.

It's on the eastern edge of Wolverton, though near New Bradwell.

You could rename it to Wolverton for/and New Bradwell, but as that's not really a destination it would be a waste of time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Sep 2025 ==

Because of its fame Clapham Jct is very unlikely to ever change.

In any case remember that "X Junction" usually means "the junction where you change for X" not "the junction station in X", though some are.

 

[Ridercross]

I would suggest the yet to open Pineapple Road on the Camp Hill line sounds meaningless to anyone outside the area. Stirchley would be far better as it’s an actual area. Interestingly Google maps shows Pineapple Road as open!

Well Bournville station is really already the station for Stirchley. If you leave the station on the Eastern side then you are in Stirchley and it's closer to Stirchley centre than it looks as though Pineapple Road will be.

 

[frankmoh]

In any case remember that "X Junction" usually means "the junction where you change for X" not "the junction station in X", though some are.

The junction in Beckenham between the Hayes Line and Chatham Main Line is not at Beckenham Junction station, but instead New Beckenham.

I think in recent years "X Junction" has come to mean "many companies" as opposed to an actual junction. Beckenham Junction has 3 operators, as does Clapham.

 

[Transilien]

"Road" or "Parkway" as a suffix has historically been used to indicate that a station is near to, but not in the named place.

This is why Didcot Parkway makes no sense. It’s the only station in the town and is close to the centre. It really should just be ’Didcot`.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think in recent years "X Junction" has come to mean "many companies" as opposed to an actual junction. Beckenham Junction has 3 operators, as does Clapham.

It doesn't mean that. Usually if the actual junction is missing it's because Beeching closed it, e.g. Burscough.

 

[William3000]

This is why Didcot Parkway makes no sense. It’s the only station in the town and is close to the centre. It really should just be ’Didcot`.

Parkway denotes extensive parking. It doesn’t have to be remote from the town or city in its name.

 

[The exile]

Parkway denotes extensive parking. It doesn’t have to be remote from the town or city in its name.

It effectively means whatever the railway chooses to make it mean for their current purpose. It started as a reference to a specific road, then became “mainline railhead with parking for somewhere that doesn’t have a railway” then “we want everyone to know there’s a big station car park”.

 

[xotGD]

Rename East Midlands Parkway to Ratcliffe Parkway, so that people will stop obsessing that it serves the airport.

 

[Magdalia]

Parkway denotes extensive parking. It doesn’t have to be remote from the town or city in its name.

The first Parkway stations were Bristol Parkway, opened in 1972, followed by Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway, opened in 1973.

The original concept was new stations near to motorway junctions, to help Inter City compete with the motorways for London traffic.

This is why Didcot Parkway makes no sense. It’s the only station in the town and is close to the centre. It really should just be ’Didcot`.

Didcot station does not just serve Didcot, it is also the parkway station for Abingdon and Wantage.

Rename East Midlands Parkway to Ratcliffe Parkway, so that people will stop obsessing that it serves the airport.

East Midlands Parkway now performs the same function for which Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was originally constructed, though at junction 24 of the M1, not junction 28.

“we want everyone to know there’s a big station car park”

I think you are right that Parkway means that now. I think that's useful, and that's why I think that Audley End should be Saffron Walden Parkway, and should have been renamed when Whittlesford became Whittlesford Parkway in 2006, if not before.

 

[Bletchleyite]

East Midlands Parkway now performs the same function for which Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was originally constructed, though at junction 24 of the M1, not junction 28.

Not quite. Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was constructed to serve Mansfield by car. Mansfield got its own station (reopened) in 1995 and so it lost that role, just now being a local station for Alfreton and secondarily a Parkway for smaller places around it.

Not dissimilar to Kettering and Corby I suppose though those never used the term.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Didcot station does not just serve Didcot, it is also the parkway station for Abingdon and Wantage.

So rename to 'Didcot for Abingdon and Wantage'?

 

[Magdalia]

Not quite. Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was constructed to serve Mansfield by car. Mansfield got its own station (reopened) in 1995 and so it lost that role, just now being a local station for Alfreton and secondarily a Parkway for smaller places around it.

For London journeys the data says otherwise. East Midlands Parkway has 90k one way journeys to/from St Pancras, and this is over half of its footfall. Mansfield has 7k and Alfreton has 4k one way journeys to St Pancras, and both are dominated by local journeys, particularly to/from Nottingham.

So rename to 'Didcot for Abingdon and Wantage'?

Or build Grove and Wantage Parkway?

 

[Bletchleyite]

For London journeys the data says otherwise. East Midlands Parkway has 90k one way journeys to/from St Pancras, and this is over half of its footfall. Mansfield has 7k and Alfreton has 4k one way journeys to St Pancras, and both are dominated by local journeys, particularly to/from Nottingham.

I think you may have misunderstood my point. I'm not saying East Mids Parkway isn't now the main way to London. I'm saying Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway wasn't built to fulfil the same purpose as East Mids. The latter is for MML journeys, the former overridingly for more local journeys (probably mostly to/from Nottingham). East Mids will have taken passengers from other nearby MML stations and very few from Alfreton based on the fact that most people prefer direct trains and Alfreton doesn't have a direct London service.

 

[Magdalia]

I'm saying Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway wasn't built to fulfil the same purpose as East Mids. The latter is for MML journeys, the former overridingly for more local journeys (probably mostly to/from Nottingham).

This is incorrect. Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was originally constructed for Inter City services, not local services. When it opened about half of its trains ran through the Erewash Valley and didn't stop at Nottingham.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This is incorrect. Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was originally constructed for Inter City services, not local services. When it opened about half of its trains ran through the Erewash Valley and didn't stop at Nottingham.

Perhaps, but these stopped long before East Mids Parkway opened.