Stations far away from the towns they serve

[Bedpan]

Whilst you can discount Tiverton Parkway for obvious reasons, Tiverton Junction, when open, was just as far, if not further from Tiverton than the current station.

I thought it was the same place. It was Tivertpon Junction because it was the junction for the line to Tiverrton, not becuase they were trying to make out it was in Tiverton. Same goes for Seaton junction and Sidmouth Junction to nale but two in that area. After the branch to Tiverton Town was closed it ceased to be a junction, and some time later the name was chenged to Tiverton Parkway - somewhere the residents of Tiverton could drive to, park their cars and catch a train.

 

[JoeGJ1984]

I think Welshpool station is a long way away from Welshpool town centre - it is out on the bypass.

 

[class156]

East Kilbride is in the middle of houses rather than the town centre so anybody who wants to get to the main shopping complex has to ask for directions.

 

[mindfeeder]

Beaulieu Road instantly springs to mind. It's in the middle of nowhere...

Warwick is a good 15 minute walk into the town centre.
Hatton Station is a good mile or so from the actual village.
Claverdon is about half a mile out of the village

 

[DavidBrown]

I thought it was the same place. It was Tivertpon Junction because it was the junction for the line to Tiverrton, not becuase they were trying to make out it was in Tiverton. Same goes for Seaton junction and Sidmouth Junction to nale but two in that area. After the branch to Tiverton Town was closed it ceased to be a junction, and some time later the name was chenged to Tiverton Parkway - somewhere the residents of Tiverton could drive to, park their cars and catch a train.

Nope - sorry! Tiverton Junction Station was still open long after the branch to Tiverton closed, and eventually closed in May 1986 when the new Parkway station opened. The station was called 'Tiverton Road' until 1848 when the Tiverton branch opened (unsure if the Hemyock branch was open by then?), though quite why they didn't just call it 'Willand', I'll never know.

Tiverton Parkway is about a mile and a half north of the old Tiverton Junction station and is at the site of the old Stampford Courtenay Halt. The Parkway opened on the day after the old station closed, and was built to co-incide with the opening of the new North Devon Link Road (which was fully open in 1988), so it would give not just Tiverton but also Barnstaple and huge chunks of rural north and mid Devon quick connections to mainline services.

 

[CheekyBandit]

Swindon didn't really serve anywhere

Didn't think Swindon was really anywhere

Mind you someone seems to think Pretendolinos call there:
http://www.swindongateway.com/

 

[Statto]

I do that most weekends, rail to bus only. If I'm feeling really fearless, I go via the Guild Hall and subway, some weird people down there... The only reason I walk is because I have 23 minutes to waste and don't like hanging around at the stop opposite Waterstones!

Oh yes, i hate that walk from Preston Station to the Bus Station.
Preston Bus Station is a nightmare as well, main reason is the Subways linking the Bus Station, you feel like something bad is going to happen to you, which means the best way of entering/exiting is playing Chicken with the bus movements on the Roadway at the Bus Station.

Someone mentioned Crewe, which is a good 20-30 min walk to the Town Centre, & Chester is the same, although theres a bus link to Chester City Centre it doesn't serve the Bus Exchange which can be a bigger pain to walk to, so i get off at Bache[if i'm using Merseyrail]& catch a bus from there.

 

[PRS]

To be fair, the station is still in Milton Keynes....although an uphill walk for a mile to the shopping centre is in order if you get off there! I have often wondered why there isn't a free shuttle bus from station to shopping centre in my fair town.

On my first visit to MK I hadn't done any research as the moniker of "Central" indicated that the station was just that. I was quite surprised that there was a good 15 min walk ahead of me. But at least the "New Town" layout means that the walk is fluid as the roads are negotiated with underpasses.

I do agree about the Shuttle Bus. Centre:MK could put one on themselves.

 

[OxtedL]

Knockholt. More than 3 miles from the station, which is actually between Badgers Mount and Pratts Bottom.

 

[Chapeltom]

Batley seemed a bit out the City Centre..

 

[150222]

brighouse?

 

[Bittern]

Holytown station actually isn't even in Holytown.

 

[gg1]

Didn't think Swindon was really anywhere

Mind you someone seems to think Pretendolinos call there:
http://www.swindongateway.com/

Probably the same person who thinks class 323s go to Aviemore

http://www.cairngorms-park.com/getting-here/

 

[Bedpan]

Nope - sorry! Tiverton Junction Station was still open long after the branch to Tiverton closed, and eventually closed in May 1986 when the new Parkway station opened. The station was called 'Tiverton Road' until 1848 when the Tiverton branch opened (unsure if the Hemyock branch was open by then?), though quite why they didn't just call it 'Willand', I'll never know.

Tiverton Parkway is about a mile and a half north of the old Tiverton Junction station and is at the site of the old Stampford Courtenay Halt. The Parkway opened on the day after the old station closed, and was built to co-incide with the opening of the new North Devon Link Road (which was fully open in 1988), so it would give not just Tiverton but also Barnstaple and huge chunks of rural north and mid Devon quick connections to mainline services.

Ah, that probably explains why I've never been able to see the course of the old branch line diverging off as I've been through Parkway, despite looking for it many times!!

 

[Liam]

East Kilbride is in the middle of houses rather than the town centre so anybody who wants to get to the main shopping complex has to ask for directions.

Same goes for Livingston's two stations and Cumbernauld. Must be a new town thing.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Southampton Central is a walk up a big hill to get to the city centre.

True, but at least there's a free bus link every ½ hour...

 

[Lrd]

True, but at least there's a free bus link every ½ hour...

Every 15 minutes But it still takes you to the wrong side of West Quay and The Marlands...

 

[CarterUSM]

East Kilbride is in the middle of houses rather than the town centre so anybody who wants to get to the main shopping complex has to ask for directions.

When the station was originally built, East Kilbride was a village, the New Town began to be constructed about 60 odd years later, so it was practically the centre of the village at the time. Though the New Town centre is only a 10 minute walk straight out the station, sign posted, not to mention a detailed map. Still a mistake not moving the station, though the line was under threat in the 60's.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Holytown station actually isn't even in Holytown.

People ask me for singles to/from New Stevenston semi- regularly.

 

[class377man]

Angmering station is a fair way from the village.

Worthing isn't exactly convenient for its town centre either.

 

[Bittern]

East Kilbride is in the middle of houses rather than the town centre so anybody who wants to get to the main shopping complex has to ask for directions.

East Kilbride's station is in the Village. The distance between the station and the shopping centre is always horribly exaggerated as the centre a few minutes walk away.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

When the station was originally built, East Kilbride was a village, the New Town began to be constructed about 60 odd years later, so it was practically the centre of the village at the time. Though the New Town centre is only a 10 minute walk straight out the station, sign posted, not to mention a detailed map. Still a mistake not moving the station, though the line was under threat in the 60's.

An example is here. You'd have to be walking like a baby in slow-motion for it to take 10 minutes. I can buy a coffee out of Subway in the Centre and be sitting on a train with the coffee still roasting hot. The cost of moving the station is unjustifiable if it's just for lazy people who don't want to walk for those extra two minutes.

 

[thefab444]

Beaulieu Road is a good 3½ miles from Beaulieu village, and Lyndhurst Road is about 2½ miles from Lyndhurst - although the latter has since been renamed to Ashurst to reflect the village it actually service.

Someone mentioned Micheldever station earlier on in the thread, which was originally named Andover Road until the current station in Andover opened. Micheldever is about 9 - 10 miles away from Andover!

 

[CarterUSM]

East Kilbride's station is in the Village. The distance between the station and the shopping centre is always horribly exaggerated as the centre a few minutes walk away.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


An example is here. You'd have to be walking like a baby in slow-motion for it to take 10 minutes. I can buy a coffee out of Subway in the Centre and be sitting on a train with the coffee still roasting hot. The cost of moving the station is unjustifiable if it's just for lazy people who don't want to walk for those extra two minutes.

Depends where you want to go to in the town centre though. 2-3 minutes will get you to the Centre post office no probs however. The station being moved was mooted in the seventies by local people, along with suggestions of new line throughout the town. One of the benches in the station has a plaque dedicated to a local couple who campaigned for it, and for an improved service to the town in general. I do consider the station to be pretty 'central' as it stands though.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Angmering station is a fair way from the village.

Worthing isn't exactly convenient for its town centre either.

But both are within a 10 minute walk easily

 

[me123]

East Kilbride's station is in the Village. The distance between the station and the shopping centre is always horribly exaggerated as the centre a few minutes walk away.

It's a five minute walk; a perfectly acceptable distance to the town centre. It's nothing like Cumbernauld or Livingston, which are both quite some distance from the town centres themselves. (Although, in the case of Cumbernauld, I can't understand why you'd want to go to the town centre!).

Lochwinnoch station is located well outside the town of Lochwinnoch itself, just to add to the list.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Bescar Lane on the Manchester-Wigan-Southport line is quite a long walk from the station to Bescar village.

 

[northwichcat]

Southampton Airport Parkway is in Eastleigh (so is the Airport).

Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Airport are in Speke not Liverpool. Manchester Airport (including the station) is in Ringway not Manchester. It's the same with most Airports.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

ironicly tring station is a village near tring (where tring railway station is situated)

The town of Nelson (Lancs) got named after the station. Originally there were two settlements - Little Marsden and Great Marsden - the station was to serve both so Marsden seemed a logical name. However, they opted against this because of Marsden near Huddersfield, so they called the station 'Nelson' after a pub near the station and the two settlements merged in to one town and got renamed after the station - Nelson.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Upholland station is a very long walk from Upholland, as I found to my cost when I had to attend a seminar there years ago in 1986.

 

[Crossover]

Milton Keynes Central.

You'll be surprised at how many people who aren't from the area don't know the way to the town centre....

MK had crossed my mind too - the station is actually a reasonable trek from most places and even when living there for a year I found myself getting lost on more than the odd occasion!

I'll be honest and say that most of the stations between Walsall and Rugeley TV and a fair distance from the town.

Bar Walsall of course which is slap bag underneath a shopping centre and runs through the town practically

Thought you may something about that IPT :P
Yeah, Walsall is very much in the centre as I once found out, although I seem to recall the bus station was a fair distance away, or we may have just gone well and truly round the houses to get there!

I would say Rugeley TV is designed more for interchanges rather than anything else - unless they are running buses on the many occasion! Probably like Dovey Junction which I am led to believe is in the middle of nowhere....maybe that is a reason neither have staff....

Batley seemed a bit out the City Centre..

Batley is a long way from the city centre considering the nearest city centre is probably either Leeds or Wakefield!

As for being far away from the town centre, I do know Batley Station is up a rather steep hill but can't think where that is in relation to the town centre...being from the neighbouring town, that is probably pretty bad of me!

On the case though, I would say Dewsbury is similar to a degree - they feel the need for a town bus to get people from the bus station to railway station and into town, although the walk isn't too far, just quite hilly I guess.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also believe that makes me an Established Member again

 

[tbtc]

Same goes for Livingston's two stations and Cumbernauld. Must be a new town thing.

This is a frustrating thing.

Okay, for some places the railway arrived once the settlements were built up, so had to squeeze through a fairly "cheap" path, meaning there's some distance from the station to the centre...

...and for some rural places it wasn't worth diverting the railway to serve them (due to low populations etc), so the station is just the closest point on a straight-ish line...

...but if I were building Cumbernauld/ Glenrothes/ Livingston (etc) from scratch then I'd ensure that the railway station was pretty central (even if that meant moving where the "centre" was planned to be to suit the path of an existing railway line).

 

[stut]

I don't think Cambridge is as far away as many say, it's just in that annoying gap where it's a little too far to walk comfortably, and a little too short to warrant driving or taking the bus.

(One of the many reasons why bikes are the best way to get around in that particular city...)