Stations far away from the towns they serve

[bus man]

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

 

[150222]

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

yes several times

 

[VideozVideoz]

Both Crewe and Nantwich stations are around 1 mile south of their respective town centres.

I disagree about Crewe, I would say that the station is fairly central to the town centre. As for Nantwich station, it's even nearer to the centre than Crewe station is! Check your maps

 

[rmt-driver]

Greenford station is miles away from the actual Greenford centre. In fact I think Greenford East may be closer

 

[Jordeh]

Long Eaton station is really in Sawley and a 15-20 minute walk to the town centre.

 

[Donny Dave]

A few local ones (for me) ....

Crowle station is actually in Ealand, and about 2 miles from the village itself. In the same fashion, Althorpe station is in Keadby, with the village about a mile down the busy A18 and no path to walk along.

Before they closed, Elsham was in the middle of nowhere, about halfway between Elsham and Wrawby (roughly 1 and a half miles to each village), and Brocklesby Junction station was about 4 miles from Brocklesby itself (down narrow country lanes as well), but is only about 1 mile from Ulceby.

Talking of Ulceby, the station serves the very small hamlet of Ulceby Skitter, with the village of Ulceby being about a mile away.

 

[Turbostar]

Well, Bearsted, just outside Maidstone, where I used to live, the station is right on the NE edge of the village (Bearsted is a LARGE village). It's basically in the old part of the village. so if you want to get to Ashford Road, which is the main road that runs through the middle of the village, or to get to the newer part of the village, if you don't drive, your left with a 15-20min walk through country lanes, depending on how fast you walk.

 

[bnm]

Tiverton parkway?

What does "Parkway" mean, in the context of station names? It crops up all over the place.

An out of town site with massive car parks (usually upwards of 200 spaces) for commuters to park at and get on a train to their destination. Didcot is trying to get a name change as it is actually in the town centre, not in the middle of a field as the name implies!

And With Tiverton Parkway, it is very much 'out-of-town'. 8½ miles out!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I would nominate NEW LANE on the Manchester - Wigan - Southport service as being too far from anywhere of size.

 

[CheekyBandit]

Well, Bearsted, just outside Maidstone, where I used to live, the station is right on the NE edge of the village (Bearsted is a LARGE village).

There are those who claim that Bearsted Green is the centre of Bearsted and that Ashford Road and Egremont Road (a shopping area to the south of Ashford Road which for years was the site of the village's only supermarket) on the Madginford estate is not part of Bearsted despite there being several businesses on each road (or very close to it) having "Bearsted" in its title, the signs for Ashford Road/Roundwell junction (when approaching it from the east) has Bearsted as straight on and right for Bearsted Green (which is the same road to the station), every address on the Madginford estate being officially "Bearsted, Maidstone" and every bus company using Ashford Road refers to timing points there as being in Bearsted - this including one called Spot Hire, supposedly offering an hourly connecting bus service to Leeds Castle (actually running between 3 and 5 a day for eight months of the year) that is better than an infrequent one from Hollingbourne (actually the closest) that also runs 5 a day all year round.

Also, it is a fair trek to Thurnham (which the station once claimed to also serve). Officially this up to May 1980, but station signs had continued to be "Bearsted & Thurnham" for several years
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-580000-156000/page/1)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Long Eaton station is really in Sawley and a 15-20 minute walk to the town centre.

We could always campaign for the centrally located Long Eaton Town station to be re-opened and introduce a service across the Erewash Valley route to make use of it....

As far as I know the platforms are still intact, albeit very overgrown. There is a footbridge right next to the level crossing there already.

 

[northwichcat]

I disagree about Crewe, I would say that the station is fairly central to the town centre. As for Nantwich station, it's even nearer to the centre than Crewe station is! Check your maps

I just checked my map and Google maps and Crewe station is around 1 mile from the pedestrianised bit (1.0 miles from JD Sports to Crewe station) - which makes it further from the centre than Chester - which a lot of people were saying was a long way out and is 0.7 miles from the Grovensor Shopping Centre in the centre.

Nantwich is a bit more than 1/2 mile.

I forget to mention Winsford before, where there is actually a sign in the town centre which says "Station 1.5 miles" and from Google maps that appears to be correct.

 

[martinsh]

I disagree about Crewe, I would say that the station is fairly central to the town centre. As for Nantwich station, it's even nearer to the centre than Crewe station is! Check your maps

I have checked my map. It says that Crewe station to town centre is 0.87 miles (admittedly the road distance, but the direct route goes straight over the former North Junction box, and even that can't but much less than 0.75 miles).

Do you know whereabouts in Crewe the town centre is ? From the station looking north west, you can see a clock tower in the distance - THAT is the town centre.
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Nantwich is a bit more than 1/2 mile.

I make Nantwich to be under 1/4 mile - from station to the town square, by the parish church ? I can certainly walk it in 5 minutes

 

[northwichcat]

I have checked my map. It says that Crewe station to town centre is 0.87 miles (admittedly the road distance, but the direct route goes straight over the former North Junction box, and even that can't but much less than 0.75 miles).

Do you know whereabouts in Crewe the town centre is ? From the station looking north west, you can see a clock tower in the distance - THAT is the town centre..

Oh sorry for picking another point in the centre of Crewe that's exactly the same distance from the station as the clock tower which you mention. Google maps says the walking distance from Crewe station to the exact spot you want (the clock tower by the market) is 1.0 miles. What method are you using a piece of string or making marks on the side of a piece of scrap paper?

A town centre is never a single point - it's usually at least three different streets. Are you saying that someone visiting Crewe town centre would walk to the clock tower, turn around and go home? If not why are you obsessed about it being that exact point? It's not exactly like I picked Morrisons supermarket as the town centre.

 

[Butts]

I think this was mentioned briefly before.

Sandwell is the name for an administrative area comprising of West Bromwich,Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis Smethwick, Tipton, Oldbury etc -look on the list of deprived areas in any list it's always near the Top.

The actual station is in Oldbury.

It is miles from Dudley Town Centre.

Dudley must be one of the biggest towns in the UK that hasn't got a Railway Station anywhere near the town itself. I'm talking Dudley not Dudley Metropolitan Borough.

I think the cost of the Station must have been shared by DMBC and SMBC hence the name - it is on the mainline with Virgin Services to and from London Euston.

 

[andchafri]

There are those who claim that Bearsted Green is the centre of Bearsted and that Ashford Road and Egremont Road (a shopping area to the south of Ashford Road which for years was the site of the village's only supermarket) on the Madginford estate is not part of Bearsted despite there being several businesses on each road (or very close to it) having "Bearsted" in its title, the signs for Ashford Road/Roundwell junction (when approaching it from the east) has Bearsted as straight on and right for Bearsted Green (which is the same road to the station), every address on the Madginford estate being officially "Bearsted, Maidstone" and every bus company using Ashford Road refers to timing points there as being in Bearsted - this including one called Spot Hire, supposedly offering an hourly connecting bus service to Leeds Castle (actually running between 3 and 5 a day for eight months of the year) that is better than an infrequent one from Hollingbourne (actually the closest) that also runs 5 a day all year round.

Also, it is a fair trek to Thurnham (which the station once claimed to also serve). Officially this up to May 1980, but station signs had continued to be "Bearsted & Thurnham" for several years
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-580000-156000/page/1)

Just to confirm that Bearsted Green is the centre of the village and is close to the station,
Despite being part of a growing urban conurbation on the outskirts of Maidstone, the centre of Bearsted retains a traditional village look with 18th and 19th Century (and older) properties surrounding a village green, flanked by two pubs.

The parish of Bearsted has a population of around 10,000 and is broadly divided into two areas of development, the traditional village of Bearsted, lies north of the A20 Ashford Road and the newer Maidstone suburb of Madginford that lies south of the Ashford Road. Madginford is an area of housing constructed in large part during the 1960s. The area includes a small supermarket and shopping centre, a park and ride facility and primary school. The parish also incorporates part of Mote Park on its western boundary

Living in the area close to the supermarket and the Ashford Road I can walk to Bearsted station in under 15 minutes! Also due to the way boundries run in this area when my daughter was christened it could not take place in Bearsted church as it does not cover Madginford. My home address says Bearsted but is in a different post code to the village. As for bus services a quick glance at the Arriva website for routes 8 & 19 show that they consider the station area to be Bearsted and not the Ashford Road

 

[CheekyBandit]

Just to confirm that Bearsted Green is the centre of the village and is close to the station,

Oh great, Wikipedia, that highly reliable source...

 

[martinsh]

What method are you using a piece of string or making marks on the side of a piece of scrap paper? .

Using measuring tool in Microsoft MapPoint, going the way I would walk it.

A town centre is never a single point - it's usually at least three different streets. Are you saying that someone visiting Crewe town centre would walk to the clock tower, turn around and go home? If not why are you obsessed about it being that exact point? .

I posted in reply to Videoz, not you. Didn't notice your post until I'd posted. The point about the clock tower is that it can be seen easily from the station, so anyone who only goes to the station can get a visual idea of how far away the town centre is. Agree with you that the town centre isn't usually an exact point.

 

[bnm]

There is, however, usually one point in a town or city that is regarded as the centre for calculating road sign mileages.

 

[andchafri]

Oh great, Wikipedia, that highly reliable source...

Backed up by the fact that I was talking to the parish councilor not 20 minutes ago!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

I think this was mentioned briefly before.

Sandwell is the name for an administrative area comprising of West Bromwich,Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis Smethwick, Tipton, Oldbury etc -look on the list of deprived areas in any list it's always near the Top.

The actual station is in Oldbury.

It is miles from Dudley Town Centre.

Dudley must be one of the biggest towns in the UK that hasn't got a Railway Station anywhere near the town itself. I'm talking Dudley not Dudley Metropolitan Borough.

I think the cost of the Station must have been shared by DMBC and SMBC hence the name - it is on the mainline with Virgin Services to and from London Euston.

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!)

 

[gnolife]

Neither station in Marple is really central and I think it's similar with New Mills.

I don't know for Central, but I know that Newtown serves exactly where it says it serves

 

[robertclark125]

If we move off National Rail, then how about gateshead Stadium on the Tyne and Wear Metro? It's a good 15 minutes walk from the stadium it's designed to serve. In fact, when the station was being built in 1981, original plans were to call the station Old Ford, after the housing scheme next to the station. Only at the last minute did the plans change, and they adopt the name it's had ever since.

 

[Batman]

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.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

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!)

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.

 

[Julia]

Shippea Hill is a weird one, as there was no settlement of that name, and no hill as it lies in the middle of the fens. The motley collection of houses around the station is referred to "Shippea Hill station" by some maps.

There is a hill of sorts, not obvious to the eye but the OS recognises it at 5' high. Prior to the draining of the Fens Shippea was a separate island (like Manea, Stonea, and many more).

 

[stut]

If we move off National Rail, then how about gateshead Stadium on the Tyne and Wear Metro? It's a good 15 minutes walk from the stadium it's designed to serve. In fact, when the station was being built in 1981, original plans were to call the station Old Ford, after the housing scheme next to the station. Only at the last minute did the plans change, and they adopt the name it's had ever since.

Old Fold, IIRC. The original metro maps (with this section marked as under construction) still had it labelled as such. There's a cool thread here showing the progression of the maps.

 

[Smethwickian]

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

I wouldn't say it's a huge distance as the crow flies but it's one of those places where the station seems to have slumbered on in a backwater and ended up being a bit cut off by new roads or other development, as if no-one really gave much thought of people needing to access it.

For some reason Bedford St Johns has sprung to mind - I seem to recall thinking on a visit a couple of years ago that would have been similarly 'forgotten' before that line's service was extended to Bedford (Midland).

Sandwell and Dudley is in the middle of the borough of Sandwell but the nearest town is Oldbury, which of course was once the station's name. Yes, Butts, I believe both Sandwell and Dudley boroughs plus the old WMPTE and BR's InterCity sector contributed to its upgrading, platform lengthening and creation of large car parks to turn it into what was at first called Sandwell & Dudley Parkway.

Unwary passengers should be aware there's only a half-hourly daytime bus, Monday to Saturday, direct between the station and Dudley town centre. Various attempts to divert other routes to provide more services have come and gone over the years because of the time penalty incurred and unworthwhile numbers of passengers.

 

[VideozVideoz]

I don't know for Central, but I know that Newtown serves exactly where it says it serves

New Mills Central is definitely close to the town centre (you just have a steep climb up). As for Newtown, you are correct.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I posted in reply to Videoz, not you. Didn't notice your post until I'd posted. The point about the clock tower is that it can be seen easily from the station, so anyone who only goes to the station can get a visual idea of how far away the town centre is. Agree with you that the town centre isn't usually an exact point.

jcollins: Either way, the distance to Crewe centre from the station is not extortionate in comparison to some of the other places mentioned on this thread. Nantwich station is as near as you're gonna get for proximity to town centre. Both of these places were not good examples.

 

[stut]

For some reason Bedford St Johns has sprung to mind - I seem to recall thinking on a visit a couple of years ago that would have been similarly 'forgotten' before that line's service was extended to Bedford (Midland).

The old St John's station was closer to St Paul's Square than Midland, though (and handy for South Wing Hospital, the college, etc).

The current one, well, I despair...

 

[northwichcat]

jcollins: Either way, the distance to Crewe centre from the station is not extortionate in comparison to some of the other places mentioned on this thread.

If you look at where I mentioned Crewe it was post number 3. The only ones mentioned before I mentioned Crewe were Chester, Cambridge, Derby, Stoke and Sandwell and Dudley.

At that point Crewe station was certainly the second furthest from it's respective town/city centre. Sandwell and Dudley would be number 1 but as the station names mentions 2 communities I don't think it should really count.

Nantwich station is as near as you're gonna get for proximity to town centre.

Take it you've not been to Altrincham, Hale, Rainhill, Liverpool Central, Warrington Central etc. etc.