Fight to name Birmingham station recommences

[The Planner]

To be honest, I can't see why the NEC needs to be mentioned at all. For any event or exhibition at the NEC, you'd just say you're next to the airport and to travel to Birmingham Airport.

So simple!

The NEC don't see it that way. Considering the station opened in February 1976, the same time the NEC opened itself, they probably think they have a shout over being first on the sign.

 

[jon0844]

Maybe but I'd say it's easier for NEC visitors to be told to go to Birmingham Airport than airport visitors to be told to go to the NEC.

 

[Eagle]

Not like back in the 1980s when the North London DC Line trains from Watford Junction were diverted to Liverpool Street, after Broad St closed, and trains for Liverpool Street, and for Liverpool Lime Street, left from opposite sides of the same platform. There were errors both ways ......

Still happens all the time at Norwich, though.

 

[RochdalePioneers]

Birmingham Airport Parkway for the NEC.

There, done it. My £10k consultants fee can be sent to.....

Sent from my HTC One mini using Tapatalk 2

 

[The Planner]

Your lawyers as the NEC fight for it to be Birmingham Parkway for the NEC and Airport

 

[NSE]

I don't see the need for renaming. I can see why it happens, and it happens everywhere. It's easy to fix, trains to Birmingham are so frequent from there. Personally, if that many passengers are getting it wrong, couldn't the driver/guard make an announcement on Birmingham bound trains, "Birmingham International, for the Airport and NEC, please stay on board for City Centre'. Ok some maybe DOO, I don't know, but I'm sure something could be sorted.

 

[bairy]

I can't imagine too many people get it wrong. On daytime approach you can see there are no city buildings, the guard says you can change for the airport and it's fairly reasonable to assume the airport hasn't been plonked in the city centre.
Plus New Street is 10 minutes on in the timetable so people should use that as a hint to get a map out.

If they must rename it then I'd do it simply. Airport came first by a few decades so stick that on the sign first. Or name it Bickenhill after where it is.

However the simplest solution is the one in the above post.. just have the guards point out that this isn't the city centre.

Suppose they will have to rename it eventually with Interchange coming along but don't really think it's worth that much of managers time as a priority.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I have to admit that I think international is the wrong name. It should be Birmingham Airport & NEC.

 

[The Planner]

When did the new terminal open and the airport move from the Elmdon side on the A45 where the cargo depot is now?

 

[bnsf734]

The new terminal opened in April 1984, with the official opening by the Queen on May 30 1984. (Thanks Wikipedia). I didn't realise that its been open for almost 20 years!

 

[Eagle]

Almost thirty years...

 

[The Planner]

So if that is the case then, didn't International technically only serve the NEC from 76 to 84? that will get played as a trump card I suspect....

 

[AndyLandy]

Or just this perhaps:

BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL
DO NOT ALIGHT HERE FOR BIRMINGHAM CITY CENTRE​

 

[jon0844]

I actually think the station would be better named

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
also change here for Birmingham Airport and NEC​

 

[Eagle]

So if that is the case then, didn't International technically only serve the NEC from 76 to 84? that will get played as a trump card I suspect....

Not really, it was still the main station for Birmingham Airport before then. (Prior to 1976 it would have been Marston Green, I guess.)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I actually think the station would be better named

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
also change here for Birmingham Airport and NEC​

Why not just go down the route of how people navigate nowadays and call it:

M42 Junction 6
there's some other stuff here too​

 

[jon0844]

Yup, that'll do.

Who do we email to say it's decided?

 

[Southwest]

Here's another thought.

Hundreds of thousands of people must pass through Birmingham International every year so why should we change the name to pander to a few thickos who don't know their arses from their elbows!

 

[Andrew Nelson]

That's different so it doesn't count. Now if it had been named London International ...

What City is it in the centre of?

 

[AndyJB]

Leave it as it is, and rename Birmingham New Street 'Birmingham Central'.

Of course, then you'd confuse the, apparently bewildered, masses who'd be left wondering what Snow Hill and Moor Street (which, being right oposite the Bull Ring, is arguably even closer to the city centre) were all about!

 

[Andrew Nelson]

If I knew nothing of the city, I'd have absolutely no idea. New Street could be somewhere out in the suburbs for all I knew and nothing about the word "International" precludes a station with it in its name being located in a city centre.

Like Stratford International, neither in the "City" centre, nor having a single "International" service calling there.

 

[dvboy]

As I can see, this issue has come about for two reasons.

1. There is a convention to name internationally connected stations International (St Pancras, Ashford etc) which has come about long after Birmingham International opened.

2. The airport it serves no longer has the word International in its name, it changed recently to Birmingham Airport.

The NEC has never been mentioned in the station's name previously whereas it has clearly always been named after the airport - I think NEC group are being quite petty about having their name on the sign, let alone the positioning. If they must be included, it makes sense for the first word to be Birmingham, as in Birmingham Airport & NEC. To put NEC before the word Birmingham makes no sense at all.

What's the positioning of the words signs on the motorways, and did the NEC have any say in that?

 

[Geezertronic]

I know a few colleagues who have meant to get off at Birmingham International (for Trinity Park which is a less than 5 minute walk from BHI) but have stayed on and got off at New Street

 

[Proud Salopian]

Not really, it was still the main station for Birmingham Airport before then. (Prior to 1976 it would have been Marston Green, I guess.)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Why not just go down the route of how people navigate nowadays and call it:

M42 Junction 6
there's some other stuff here too​

Seems many need postcodes to exist these days (all very sad) so why not...

B40 1PA
You have not reached your destination.​

 

[The Planner]

What's the positioning of the words signs on the motorways, and did the NEC have any say in that?

Google Streetview 1 Google Streetview 2 has NEC down first or seperately (somehow the NEC has jumped a mile in the second one!), but that is probably more down to Airports being shown as a symbol in general on signs.

 

[AndyLandy]

Leave it as it is, and rename Birmingham New Street 'Birmingham Central'.

Of course, then you'd confuse the, apparently bewildered, masses who'd be left wondering what Snow Hill and Moor Street (which, being right oposite the Bull Ring, is arguably even closer to the city centre) were all about!

That's easy:

BIRMINGHAM CENTRAL 1
Alight here for New Street

BIRMINGHAM CENTRAL 2A
Alight here for Moor Street

BIRMINGHAM CENTRAL 2B
Alight here for Snow Hill
​

 

[neilmc]

I don't people, especially those from overseas or those who rarely use trains, can be fairly described as "thickos" in this instance. "International" sounds more of an important station than "New Street" and given that we don't have a standard designation such as "Hauptbahnhof" to describe the city centre station it becomes a bit of a guessing game. I found myself in the same quandary in Poznan a while ago, and only got the right one by looking at the surroundings and the number of platforms.

 

[Tetchytyke]

It stops being funny when London Midland's RPIs will penalty fare anyone who gets off incorrectly at Birmingham International. As for the lack of city markings, the "main" station in a city is often not the most central.

It's always been an issue though, way back to when the first railway companies used "Junction" to mean "miles from chuffing anywhere".

 

[HowardGWR]

I don't people, especially those from overseas or those who rarely use trains, can be fairly described as "thickos" in this instance. "International" sounds more of an important station than "New Street" and given that we don't have a standard designation such as "Hauptbahnhof" to describe the city centre station it becomes a bit of a guessing game. I found myself in the same quandary in Poznan a while ago, and only got the right one by looking at the surroundings and the number of platforms.

Brussels always used to get me a bit uneasy, as it is a bit like the old Manchester Exchange / Victoria situation. Airport-NEC seems a just solution. Leading with 'Airport' tells any traveller that he is nowhere near the place so-named.

 

[Southwest]

I don't people, especially those from overseas or those who rarely use trains, can be fairly described as "thickos" in this instance. "International" sounds more of an important station than "New Street" and given that we don't have a standard designation such as "Hauptbahnhof" to describe the city centre station it becomes a bit of a guessing game. I found myself in the same quandary in Poznan a while ago, and only got the right one by looking at the surroundings and the number of platforms.

I call it how it is. This is a massive $hit storm where a very small minority of people don't do their homework and end up in a place that isn't where they expected to be. This isn't rocket science, do people not check things out these days?

My original comment still stands.

 

[southern442]

Seems many need postcodes to exist these days (all very sad) so why not...

B40 1PA
You have not reached your destination.​

Where are you?
Maybe in Birmingham?