Fight to name Birmingham station recommences

[Eagle]

True but 'Windy God-forsaken Dump' could also be appropriate? Actually the village is called Rogiet is it not?

It's not really a station for Rogiet though.

It's more an interchange station than a station to serve any particular place.

 

[Muzer]

As someone else pointed out, though, it's a rather poor name. It has everything to do with the technical details of the railway and not much to do with actual location - people can guess that it's probably near the river Severn but not much else. You don't even know from the name whether it's in England or Wales!

 

[Eagle]

You don't even know from the name whether it's in England or Wales!

Not that you'd need to. As I said, it is (or at least was) mainly an interchange station, not a destination. It could be in Afghanistan or the fifth ring of Saturn for all it matters to someone interchanging there.

 

[TrainfanBen]

Birmingham Cat Deeley station

Glasgow Billy Connolly station

Warrington Tim Curry station

Hamilton Jackie Bird station

....it could catch on

Coventry Pete Waterman station

 

[Geezertronic]

Coventry Pete Waterman station

It would be Leamington Pete Waterman wouldn't it?

 

[edwin_m]

It would be Leamington Pete Waterman wouldn't it?

Crewe?

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Why not rename Birmingham International to West Midlands Gateway North East, yeah its a mouthful but its better than having the International suffix on the end?

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, but it needs to mention the Airport in there somewhere :P

 

[AndyLandy]

Why not rename Birmingham International to West Midlands Gateway North East, yeah its a mouthful but its better than having the International suffix on the end?

"Birmingham West Midlands Gateway North East for the International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre"

We could even give it a three-letter station code of BWMG.

 

[Andyjs247]

How about "Birmingham Interchange" then when HS2 opens that other station can be "Birmingham Interchange HS2"?

Honestly spoken I don't see the need to rename BHI, but if you did I'd want to minimise the changes. At least the code would still make sense.

 

[pt_mad]

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.

Who in their right mind would buy a ticket for any station with the word Birmingham in it randomly expecting it to be in the city centre?

If you are buying a ticket from a person, simply ask. If buying from a machine you must have some idea of your journey before you set off surely?


Mind you thinking about it I spoke to someone recently who said its flawed that a rail ticket to 'Birmingham Stns' is not valid to International. Fair point.

 

[Eagle]

Mind you thinking about it I spoke to someone recently who said its flawed that a rail ticket to 'Birmingham Stns' is not valid to International. Fair point.

Not really, the "X stations" tickets are deliberately supposed to mean the city centre terminals.

 

[pt_mad]

Not really, the "X stations" tickets are deliberately supposed to mean the city centre terminals.

I know but try telling a complete novice "by Birmingham Stations it means stations beginning Birmingham except Birmingham International".

 

[Eagle]

I know but try telling a complete novice "by Birmingham Stations it means stations beginning Birmingham except Birmingham International".

"X Stations" doesn't mean "stations beginning with X" though, so no one would explain it like that because that's not the rule.

There are some examples of station groups including stations that start with something else (e.g. Liverpool Stations includes Moorfields, Manchester Stations includes Deansgate, etc).

 

[pt_mad]

"X Stations" doesn't mean "stations beginning with X" though, so no one would explain it like that because that's not the rule.

There are some examples of station groups including stations that start with something else (e.g. Liverpool Stations includes Moorfields, Manchester Stations includes Deansgate, etc).

Could someone really be blamed for thinking Birmingham Stations might include Birmingham International?

"Sorry sir Birmingham Stations does not include Birmingham International. How could you possibly have thought that it did?"

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, but I bet the same applies to Manchester Airport, for instance.

 

[fowler9]

Yeah, but I bet the same applies to Manchester Airport, for instance.

And I think Liverpool South Parkway isn't included in Liverpool Stations. Apologies if I am wrong.

 

[pt_mad]

And I think Liverpool South Parkway isn't included in Liverpool Stations. Apologies if I am wrong.

Mind you at least that contains the word South to indicate its not in the centre.

 

[Eagle]

Correct, it's not.

If it were, then you'd also have to include Edge Hill, Mossley Hill, West Allerton, Brunswick, St Michaels, Aigburth and Cressington in the group too.

 

[Eagle]

deleted - duplicate

 

[Mojo]

Could someone really be blamed for thinking Birmingham Stations might include Birmingham International?

"Sorry sir Birmingham Stations does not include Birmingham International. How could you possibly have thought that it did?"

But if someone is passing through Birmingham Int'l with a ticket to Birmingham Stns then unless their ticket forbids break of journey[1] then for all intents and purposes Int'l might as well be a Birmingham Station.

[1] And even so, it's unlikely a Toc would mind someone getting off here /that/ much anyway.

 

[edwin_m]

But if someone is passing through Birmingham Int'l with a ticket to Birmingham Stns then unless their ticket forbids break of journey[1] then for all intents and purposes Int'l might as well be a Birmingham Station.

[1] And even so, it's unlikely a Toc would mind someone getting off here /that/ much anyway.

That's a very London-centric view! Of the eight routes radiating from New Street or Snow Hill, only one passes through International so anyone approaching on the other seven would be travelling beyond the validity of their ticket.

Some years ago our useless work travel agent was insistent that tickets to Birmingham Stations included International (or Birmingham Airport as she called it) despite me telling her several times that they didn't.