Is it "Newcastle" or "Newcastle Central" Station?

[Eagle]

I thought Waverley was just as clear cut distinguishing the "main" station from the other stations within Edinburgh. Never visited Edinburgh but I believe Haymarket is in the city centre

No I meant that sometimes it's called Edinburgh Waverley (e.g. by Network Rail and East Coast), and sometimes just Edinburgh (e.g. by NRE and CrossCountry).

Haymarket has never been called Edinburgh Haymarket, although you do sometimes see it written as Haymarket (Edinburgh), presumably because there is another Haymarket station on the TWM.

 

[NeilWatson]

Peterborough North Station ( Peterborough East is long closed)

 

[IanXC]

But what about
BHM = Birmingham New Street
MAN = Manchester Piccadilly
CDF = Cardiff Central
LIV = Liverpool Lime Street
BRI = Bristol Temple Meads
and many other statins with suffixes?

My understanding is that BR chose those codes based on the idea that those would be "the" station in those cities - for example in Birmingham the ultimate plan was to close Moor Street as well as Snow Hill, so leaving one station with the logical code simply for Birmingham. As compared to (for instance) Glasgow Central as GLC, and Glasgow Queen Street as GLQ - which suggests the intention was for there to always be 2 stations.

 

[delt1c]

Check your history Edinburgh Waverly is very simple it always has been called Edinburgh Waverly to differentiate it from the old Princess street station which was locally known as The Caley. Nothing complicated about it.

 

[bluenoxid]

Metro just call it "Central" and tickets are stamped with the code 'CEN' for it.

The National Rail journey planner calls it "Newcastle Central (Metro)" and it has code 'NCZ'

Isn't that Zone A on the Metro rather than Newcastle Central Metro

 

[142094]

NCZ is an add-on for Zone A, 'Newcastle Central Zone'. Not much point getting a single to Newcastle Central Station Metro from a national rail station.

 

[Eagle]

Check your history Edinburgh Waverly is very simple it always has been called Edinburgh Waverly to differentiate it from the old Princess street station which was locally known as The Caley. Nothing complicated about it.

Except, as I pointed out, National Rail always call it just Edinburgh.

My understanding is that BR chose those codes based on the idea that those would be "the" station in those cities - for example in Birmingham the ultimate plan was to close Moor Street as well as Snow Hill, so leaving one station with the logical code simply for Birmingham. As compared to (for instance) Glasgow Central as GLC, and Glasgow Queen Street as GLQ - which suggests the intention was for there to always be 2 stations.

Doesn't explain Manchester though; there's no way you could have closed Victoria because some lines don't feed into Piccadilly.

 

[table38]

Evidently it's "Necastle" as any fule kno

 

[bluenoxid]

That train is very late too

 

[johnnychips]

Evidently it's "Necastle" as any fule kno

I sometimes wish we had "Like"s on here.

That train is late and only needs Northallerton and Retford to complete the set. Wonder what time it got in?

 

[noddingdonkey]

In the days of Arriva Transpennine, the 158 electronic destination blinds used to say Newcastle Central.

 

[Starmill]

Which considering that the system extends quite a way outside Newcastle, could be quite confusing for outsiders trying to get to Newcastle.

Metrolink does the same thing, with stops called just Piccadilly and Victoria.

I beg to differ:

Source

We can't decide on the name of "Kingsway (Business Park)" or "Shaw (and Crompton)" either.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I beg to differ:

Source

We can't decide on the name of "Kingsway (Business Park)" or "Shaw (and Crompton)" either.

TfGM.on their Manchester Metrolink line map of the Oldham/Rochdale line show the names of these as being:-

Kingsway Business Park

Shaw and Crompton

 

[D6975]

Evidently it's "Necastle" as any fule kno

Well spotted. This is of course the lead up to the 'c' being dropped, then the 'a' to give a new name of Nestle. The advertising revenue is predicted to be considerable.

 

[IanXC]

Well spotted. This is of course the lead up to the 'c' being dropped, then the 'a' to give a new name of Nestle. The advertising revenue is predicted to be considerable.

I think one of the announcers at York is in on this as she pronounces it without the W, perhaps its the start of Nestle York taking over the world!

 

[cuccir]

I'm pretty sure that the electronic boards at Durham always call it 'Newcastle Central'. I think the answer is that it goes by both names!

 

[ModernRailways]

According to station staff it is just 'Newcastle' and that the departure boards at Durham/York etc. just haven't been changed yet. Apparently that is why Kings Cross has it down as Newcastle as they were recently installed/updated.

It seems as though it's old name was 'Newcastle Central' and it's just stuck as the years have went on, especially with the Metro being called Central Station.

 

[duffield]

But weren't those codes introduced when the railway was being computerised in the 80s?

Railway computerisation essentially dates back to 1968, the birth of TOPS (see wikipedia entry), and TOPS is still at the heart of railway operations today (though often hidden behind modern interfaces).

Going further offtopic, but my assesment of the situation is that TOPS will keep going for about another 10 years. It's not easy to replace, but replacement is becoming more imperative as time passes, for assorted reasons mainly relating to maintainability and flexibility, so a new system is now being planned.

 

[AndrewP]

I think one of the announcers at York is in on this as she pronounces it without the W, perhaps its the start of Nestle York taking over the world!

Nestle (via Rowntrees) have had a factory in Newcastle for years (at Fawdon on the Airport branch of the Metro) - maybe this is the plan?

To me it is always Central Station even though it is not particularly central - to me the centre of Newcastle is the Monument - and in the past this was important as Manors was another significant Newcastle station.

Whatever it is called its a beautiful station.

 

[bb21]

It's so you know the difference between them and other stations in the area, so
Birmingham International/Moor Street/Snow Hill
Manchester Victoria/Oxford Road
Cardiff Queen Street/Bay
Liverpool South Parkway
Bristol Parkway

To my knowledge, there aren't any other Newcastle stations (at least, none with 'Newcastle' in the name) so there's no requirement to make the distinction that you mean 'Central'

Yet Colchester's main station doesn't have a suffix to differentiate it from Town station. Of course the locals would refer to it as Colchester North.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Whatever it is called its a beautiful station.

Although Network Rail are trying their hardest to destroy the place, putting yet more unwanted and unnecessary retail outlets in the portico whilst making passengers wait for taxis in the rain.

 

[Trog]

I think Northampton has kept it's suffix in the mind of the local people. As it is usually mentioned as Castle Station, despite the other two Northampton stations being long gone.

 

[markydh]

Although Network Rail are trying their hardest to destroy the place, putting yet more unwanted and unnecessary retail outlets in the portico whilst making passengers wait for taxis in the rain.

Or alternatively, moving all the current retail outlets into the portico and vastly improving what has always been a frankly dank and dismal entrance to the station ruined by an endless stream of taxis and other such traffic.

 

[Bevan Price]

Likewise Lincoln station is often referred to as Lincoln Central.

That was its name, but the "Central" suffix became superfluous after the closure of Lincoln St. Marks.

 

[ModernRailways]

Although Network Rail are trying their hardest to destroy the place, putting yet more unwanted and unnecessary retail outlets in the portico whilst making passengers wait for taxis in the rain.

A lot of Taxi drivers hate it, for obvious reasons but I think it's a great idea to opening up the portico and making it a nice hub of activity instead of being full of deadly taxi drivers and horrible dirty walls. Hopefully WHSmiths will also be cleaned up although I doubt it!

 

[AndyLandy]

Yet Colchester's main station doesn't have a suffix to differentiate it from Town station. Of course the locals would refer to it as Colchester North.

As opposed to Colchester Carousel?

I'd still love to know why it's called that!

 

[Eagle]

That can't be a station name, because those have always been abbreviated to 16 characters.

 

[Mojo]

That can't be a station name, because those have always been abbreviated to 16 characters.

It's the name of the Ranger. Even on Ranger tickets issued today the name of the Ranger goes in that location.

 

[AndyLandy]

It's the name of the Ranger. Even on Ranger tickets issued today the name of the Ranger goes in that location.

Thank you! That's been puzzling me for years!

 

[David Barrett]

Always been known as Newcastle Central. The first station was at Carliol Square, to the east of the city centre, then another one at New Bridge Street. When John Dobson built the current one, it was more centrally located and hence Newcastle Central.

The Metro station is officially Central Station Metro Station, although it is just about always shortened to Central or Central Metro.

Probably the most accurate answer to the O.P.'s question both in factual and contextual terms. I would just add that New Bridge Street closed in 1909 after the link from the former Blyth & Tyne Railway to, and enlargement of Manors were completed, from which time the N.E.R. Third Rail Stock could truly traverse what has become accepted as the Tyne Circle via Tynemouth and Whitley Bay.