Better names for Old Oak Common

[Sad Sprinter]

I always thought Old Oak Common wasn’t a great name for a railway station which will have such importance. For most Londoners, I think Old Oak Common is a vague area in West London caged by railway lines. Here’s some other possible names which could be used instead:

North Pole Interchange-It is next to the depot after all.

North Kensington- A rather remote area of London with no obvious rail access.

West London Junction-has a bit of Victorian railway romance to it

Willesden Junction-move OOC further to the north and merge it with the current station.

 

[Eddd]

Wormwood Scrubs

Cargiant

North East Acton

Acton Parkway

 

[pdeaves]

North East Acton
Acton Parkway

Ooh, yes, another station with 'Acton' in the name. Nothing can go wrong there!

 

[Cowley]

What about - West London H.S.
Or West London Interchange?
(Change here for Acton North East )

 

[Mag_seven]

I always thought Old Oak Common wasn’t a great name for a railway station which will have such importance

On the contrary, I think "Old Oak Common" is a distinctive and unusual name and should be kept.

 

[Hetlana]

How about renaming it after a great British figure like David Lloyd George?

 

[big all]

"west london gateway "
all depends on weather descriptive or actual history is more important
i used to drive trains up there before the channel had a depot up there
we used to go up north pole bank with a class 73 and perhaps 22 assorted parcel/mail vans go through kenny at about 25mph and on full power get to the top at perhaps 3 or 4 mph on the i think 1 in 40 grade on our way to south west sidings at willisden
we also used to work the brighton to manchester passenger down the western main line and return and relieve the amey road stone from ooc
any way the point i am making is descriptive is useful to passengers but to railwaymen [women ] concerned with day to day running it is a hub with heart and sole and feelings so can be far far more than just a location or position on a map

 

[whhistle]

I don't mind Old Oak Common.
Not North Pole. There's only one of those and it's not even in this country.

 

[The Planner]

Considering the plan is to massively redevelop the surrounding area which is likely to keep the Old Oak Common name, why would you give the station a different name? The only other name that would sound slightly grander is Park Royal but that is stretching the geographical connection a bit far.

 

[MarkyT]

Considering the plan is to massively redevelop the surrounding area which is likely to keep the Old Oak Common name, why would you give the station a different name? The only other name that would sound slightly grander is Park Royal but that is stretching the geographical connection a bit far.

It's actually quite traditionally English, and if you didn't know the area might bring to mind an expanse of pleasant green common land grazed by locals' cattle with a historic old oak tree as it's centerpiece. Certainly sounds better than another local geographical reference, Wormwood Scrubs, with it's ugly name and notorious prison connections. North Pole is just confusing, as its not north of anywhere notable and merely commemorates a junction named after a short road a good distance from the proposed station which itself took its name from a closed pub, now a Tesco's.

 

[tasky]

How about renaming it after a great British figure like David Lloyd George?

Call it London Mercury Street after Freddie Mercury, who went to college in Ealing. You'd have to rename the street too. Mercury also has connotations of travel, being the god of travel

He also worked at Heathrow airport, where a lot of the changing passengers will be going to, and was also cremated at West London crematorium which is literally across the road from the new station.

And he wrote a famous song about going really fast, so it makes sense for a high-speed station

On the other hand Old Oak Common is fine, if a bit long

 

[Bletchleyite]

Don't call it London anything, it's right out in the sticks, and absent the UK switching to a German style naming scheme (which would give us stuff like London Clapham Junction) would confuse the life out of people while elevating the importance of a Godforesaken suburb.

 

[Ianno87]

Don't call it London anything, it's right out in the sticks, and absent the UK switching to a German style naming scheme (which would give us stuff like London Clapham Junction) would confuse the life out of people while elevating the importance of a Godforesaken suburb.

But you do need to emphasise that about a third of HS2 passengers will disembark to continue to London proper for Zone 1 / The Wharf on the Busy Lizzy.

London West Interchange?

 

[ijmad]

London Heathrow Parkway.

 

[Aictos]

On the contrary, I think "Old Oak Common" is a distinctive and unusual name and should be kept.

I agree, why do we need to change the name of the station anyway? What's wrong with Old Oak Common?

If we really must change the name of the station to waste money, why not settle on Acton Interchange seeing as it really will serve as a Interchange between HS2, Crossrail etc as that is a more descriptive name for its role.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I agree, why do we need to change the name of the station anyway? What's wrong with Old Oak Common?

If we really must change the name of the station to waste money, why not settle on Acton Interchange seeing as it really will serve as a Interchange between HS2, Crossrail etc as that is a more descriptive name for its role.

I just never liked the name Old Oak Common, that’s all, and wondered if anyone else felt the same way.

I was always amazed of going past the North Pole Eurostar depot as a child, so the name North Pole always has a fond place in my heart. It’s what I would call OOC if I had the power.

 

[Hetlana]

Wormwood Scrubs International

 

[Polarbear]

Heathrow East?

 

[mrcheek]

How about renaming it after a great British figure like David Lloyd George?

or maybe they could, as a tribute to David Lloyd George, sell naming rights to the highest bidder, like he sold peerages

 

[mrcheek]

West London Gateway

 

[TRAX]

Pigeonhole Parkway.

 

[Aictos]

I just never liked the name Old Oak Common, that’s all, and wondered if anyone else felt the same way.

I was always amazed of going past the North Pole Eurostar depot as a child, so the name North Pole always has a fond place in my heart. It’s what I would call OOC if I had the power.

Well seeing as the local area is called Old Oak Common and as the depot has shared the name of the local area for over 112 years, I say it's well within common sense to continue using the Old Oak Common name.

The area has no connection to the North Pole depot other then it's the name of the depot much like Lovers Walk depot is just the name of the depot and doesn't have any local connections.

If the powers to be really wanted to change their minds about the name then Acton Interchange makes more sense then suggestions here for a few reasons:

1. It's being realistic
2. It actually conveys precisely what the station does
3. There are already similar Acton stations so this one can be added to the Acton stations group
4. It's easy to remember and pronounce
5. There's more chance of this being picked then some of the unrealistic suggestions above.

 

[edwin_m]

Not North Pole. There's only one of those and it's not even in this country.

To be pedantic there are two of them although one moves around a bit.

I recall an article in Modern Railways many years ago on adding stations to the WLL, which said one at North Pole would be "in an unpromising area".

London Heathrow Parkway.

I don't think it should be advertised as a Parkway, as the road access isn't good enough to encourage people to drive there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But you do need to emphasise that about a third of HS2 passengers will disembark to continue to London proper for Zone 1 / The Wharf on the Busy Lizzy.

And a load of people get off at Vauxhall for the Victoria Line, and a load more get off at Stratford for whatever Tube line that is. But they aren't called London Vauxhall and London Stratford.

London West Interchange?

Unless and until we adopt the German naming system (which as I said would mean things like "London Clapham Junction" and "Manchester Stockport") I'm strongly of the view that if outside Zone 1 it should not have a London prefix to stop people being misled into thinking it's the Hauptbahnhof. There is admittedly Liverpool South Parkway, I suppose, and Birmingham International (which *does* confuse people and should be called "Birmingham Airport (for the NEC)") but there aren't many of them and I don't want to be adding any more.

You could call it Rathole-in-the-Sticks, but to be honest I'd save that for Willesden Junction.

 

[ijmad]

I don't think it should be advertised as a Parkway, as the road access isn't good enough to encourage people to drive there.

I forgot to add the /s !

 

[Gathursty]

Boris Junction is my suggestion for Old Oak Common.

 

[ijmad]

Realistically, there is a fair probability that the Queen will pass away (or abdicate due to frailty) at some point in the next 8 years. If that happens I anticipate another clutch of things named in her honour. Hence we may get a name like Queen Elizabeth Interchange or Queen Elizabeth Gateway. Almost logical to have an Elizabeth station on the Elizabeth Line!

Alternatively, Hammersmith & City seem to have had the name Park Royal City International Interchange in their minds some years ago when the scheme was originally mooted, as can be seen in this video:

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'd stick with Old Oak Common myself...

 

[Aictos]

I'd stick with Old Oak Common myself...

Same here, mind you we could call it RailUK International...

 

[Ianno87]

Same here, mind you we could call it RailUK International...

How about "Is a Route Not Via London ticket Valid Here Interchange?"