Stations far away from the towns they serve

[Cherry_Picker]

There are a ridiculous number of stations smack bang in the centre of the towns they serve. There are three in Birmingham!

 

[harz99]

Barrhill, although not a town but a small village is quite a way from it's station.

Not only that but it is a steeply graded walk to the station, with virtually no bus service and only parking for one, or possibly two, non railway staff cars.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Hooton station is a fair distance from the main area it is supposed to serve as the station is on the B5133 between Willaston and Hooton. How do I know, I have been there within the last two weeks and walked the walk:roll:

 

[Butts]

It's the same with rail-heads. Lichfield City is regarded as the official rail-head for the Burntwood area, when many people from the area use Cannock. The official rail-head for Aldridge if Blake Street, although it's equally convienient to use Walsall or Tame Bridge Parkway.
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Sandwell MB was formed in 1974 by a merger of Warley and West Bromwich County Boroughs. The origional plan was to include Halesowen as well, and I'm not 100% sure why that never went ahead. Me and some friends at Birmingham Polytechnic many years ago played a practical joke on someone from Hull who thought he knew the area by giving him a West Midlands street atlas and telling him to find Sandwell town centre.

I'm sure the people of Halesowen were mightly relieved not to be absorbed into Sandwell ( before anyone moans I used to live in Old Hill which is part of Sandwell and surrounded by Dudley MBC satellites) nb DMBC = much lower C tax than SMBC

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Chapel-en-le-Frith is demoralisingly far away from the centre of the town.

There has been talk of a station nearer to the town. Have you any news on this?
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I don't know for Central, but I know that Newtown serves exactly where it says it serves

This is beginning to sound like a Ronseal advert:roll:

On a more serious note, the two New Mills stations are on different lines to Sheffield and to Buxton.

 

[Butts]

I don't think the town of Dudley (pop approx 200k?) has a railway station within its limits at all, though given the somewhat confusing nature of regional borders within the West Midlands I think it is difficult to define exactly what is within Dudley and what isnt these days. I guess that is what happens when towns which were once very much separate places merge into each other over time.
There are only four stations within the entire borough according to this map though, Stourbridge Town, Stourbridge Junction and Lye on the Snow Hill lines (and the three of those stations are practically within walking distance of each other!) and Coseley on the Cov-Wolves stretch of the WCML. There are a ton of stations right on the border with Sandwell though. Dudley town centre is undoubtedly under served by the railway, but the people who live in the residential areas of Dudley are almost spoiled for choice as to which station they can use. Strange situation, but it always sounds worse when you first hear it than it actually is when you look into it. (Unless you want to travel into central Dudley of course!)

The Station Hotel survives in Dudley (opposite the Hippodrome) and I believe the Station was adjacent just down from the Hippodrome. Don't know if it was a Beeching Cut. Quite ironic as it was well placed for the Zoo and would have been near the newer Black Country Museum.

Is Dudley the biggest town in the UK without a railway station within it's town boundaries ?

 

[swt_passenger]

Micheldever serves the village of 'Micheldever Station', far away from the actual place.

But surely that's just because the station caused a new development, which was named to avoid confusion with the original Micheldever?

I bet on the day it opened the station was in the open fields (well a cutting at least...)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Middlewood station is not near at all to the shops in the middle of the area where local people regard as the centre of Middlewood.

 

[northwichcat]

Middlewood station is not near at all to the shops in the middle of the area where local people regard as the centre of Middlewood.

But it is very well placed if your looking for a station in the middle of woods and not near a road!
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But surely that's just because the station caused a new development, which was named to avoid confusion with the original Micheldever?

In Runcorn there's Runcorn station serving the old town and Runcorn East serving the new town.

 

[mr williams]

Bristol Temple Meads has caught out many an unwary visitor - even going out the back way through Temple Quay it is a good 15mins walk to the City Centre across several very busy roads.

 

[caliwag]

Hooton station is a fair distance from the main area it is supposed to serve as the station is on the B5133 between Willaston and Hooton. How do I know, I have been there within the last two weeks and walked the walk:roll:

Ha do remember a band called Hooton three car? I'm sure I have the single, as championed by Peel. He even had a H3C teeshirt...phew

 

[Bittern]

When you could get on a train to Dudley, could you get a table?

 

[Lampshade]

There has been talk of a station nearer to the town. Have you any news on this?

I can't see how it could be done. The line that runs through the centre of Chapel is now freight only, the old Central station having disappeared under a Morrisons. The current line couldn't really be moved closer to the centre without demolishing a housing estate.

 

[Chapeltom]

Morrisons is nowhere near the old Central station, its a good 10-15 minute walk away.

Anyway, I'm not too fussed about the walk, nice bit of exercise, nearly 20 minutes from my house.

 

[Lampshade]

Morrisons is nowhere near the old Central station, its a good 10-15 minute walk away.

Wikipedia betrayed me hock:

I knew it didn't seem right given the distance from the Ferodo bridge to the centre of town.

Anyway, I'm not too fussed about the walk, nice bit of exercise, nearly 20 minutes from my house.

Way too tedious to get to the Hayfield Road area though

 

[RichmondCommu]

Sorry if this as been on but dent on settle - carlisle line is 4 miles from the station

In all fairness Dent station is as close to the village as it was ever going to be before the line swings away to Garsdale. Perhaps a better name would have Cowgill? Or perhaps Dent Dale? Anyways be thankful for small mercies because when plans were being drawn up for Dent station other sites were considered which were even further away from Dent!

 

[A0]

Don't think anyone's mentioned Welwyn North on the ECML.

Well outside Welwyn Gdn City and a good couple of miles to the east of Welwyn village. It's actually located in Digswell.......

And if it hasn't been mentioned - also add Tring (Herts) where the station is a way outside the town.

 

[exile]

On the other hand why is Radley not called Abingdon North? Or Bryn not called Ashton-in-Makerfield West?

 

[Proud Salopian]

The only station in Shropshire not in the place its named for is Prees. The station is a mile out in the countryside.

 

[Batman]

What about Wylde Green on the Cross City line. The station is in Wylde Green (just), but the nearest station to the shops is Chester Road.

Suggested new names for stations to help solve this problem:

Wylde Green: Wylde Green and Boldmere

Chester Road: Yenton or Erdington North.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Don't think that anyone has mentioned St. Neot's - remember that it was a good 15/20 minutes from the centre when I used to regularly walk it - and with a hill to complete the walk.............more recently the town has considerably expanded from the time I remember it in the 1960's, the railway formed the eastern boundary of the built-up area, all changed now.
Of course, the cop-out when naming stations some distance from the place they serve was adding 'Road'...Builth Road and Maentwrog Road spring to mind!

 

[stut]

Don't think anyone's mentioned Welwyn North on the ECML.

Well outside Welwyn Gdn City and a good couple of miles to the east of Welwyn village. It's actually located in Digswell.......

Which reminds me... Clapham Junction! Located in Battersea, and a good mile and a half from Clapham.

 

[exile]

Which reminds me... Clapham Junction! Located in Battersea, and a good mile and a half from Clapham.

Battersea? Do you mean South Chelsea?

 

[stut]

Battersea? Do you mean South Chelsea?

No, you know, like that song:

"Is this the real life?
Is this just Battersea?"

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

On the other hand why is Bryn not called Ashton-in-Makerfield West?

Bryn station is well within Bryn, with Wigan Road (A49) going next to it. Our family have friends who live on Whiteledge Road, just around the corner from the station.

 

[exile]

Bryn station is well within Bryn, with Wigan Road (A49) going next to it. Our family have friends who live on Whiteledge Road, just around the corner from the station.

True, but it's only a mile from the centre of Ashton. If I want to get a train to Ashton the impression I'd get from the National Timetable is that it hasn't got a station, when it clearly has, just not close to the centre - but closer than, say, Thirsk station is to Thirsk.

 

[aspierail]

I would say Orpington station is quite a walk from its town centre.

 

[W-on-Sea]

And Radley is called that because it's in Radley, not Abingdon.

Although it might well make sense - from a point of view of attracting customers, not least - to rename it "Radley for Abingdon" or something similar. Not really walkable on a winter's night, though, down those lanes, even if there are buses every half-hour until late seven days a week.

 

[exile]

And Radley is called that because it's in Radley, not Abingdon.

Although it might well make sense - from a point of view of attracting customers, not least - to rename it "Radley for Abingdon" or something similar. Not really walkable on a winter's night, though, down those lanes, even if there are buses every half-hour until late seven days a week.

The same applies to many of the optimistically-named stations in this thread. Not quite as bad as some airports that budget airlines used - you're lucky to land in the same country as the city you're aiming for.

 

[mr williams]

Not quite as bad as some airports that budget airlines used - you're lucky to land in the same country as the city you're aiming for.

Sorry for going off topic but a mate of mine found that out the hard way when his cheap flight to Copenhagen dumped him in Sweden!!