Stations that should be renamed to a more suitable name.

[kwrail]

Ash - Ash Green, because everyone confuses it with Ash Vale

London Road (Guildford) - Stoke Park, because most people use it to get there, and it removes the need for the suffix for this and at Brighton

London Road (Brighton) - London Road

Cardiff Central - Cardiff Interchange, because arguably the city-centre is closer to Queen Street, and a new massive bus station is to be built next to it

Yeovil Junction - Clifton Maybank, because that's where it is. It's almost 2 miles from Yeovil.

Beaulieu Road - Beaulieu

Dover Priory - Dover

Oxenholme Lake District - Oxenholme, because there isn't another one - we don't need to know the area

Penrith North Lakes - Penrith, because there isn't another one - we don't need to know the area

Beaulieu Road is nowhere near Beaulieu. It's in the middle of the New Forest about three miles north. Although to be honest you could call it whatever you liked as it's the least used station in Hampshire and doesnt get many passengers anyway.

Southampton Central is an interesting one. It was renamed Southampton Central in the thirties to differentiate from Southampton Terminus, which has since closed. It then changed to just Southampton when the terminus station closed, then reverted to Southampton Central in the early nineties. Anyone know why?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Beaulieu Road is nowhere near Beaulieu. It's in the middle of the New Forest about three miles north. Although to be honest you could call it whatever you liked as it's the least used station in Hampshire and doesnt get many passengers anyway.

"X Road" is the old version of "X Parkway", though the spaces actually at the station are privately owned there's a national park car park opposite.

You could almost call it "Ferny Crofts Scout Camp" as that's the only significant thing nearby bar the station pub/hotel and is why I've used it, but for this sort of station it barely matters what you call it as anyone who uses it will know.

 

[zwk500]

Southampton Central is an interesting one. It was renamed Southampton Central in the thirties to differentiate from Southampton Terminus, which has since closed. It then changed to just Southampton when the terminus station closed, then reverted to Southampton Central in the early nineties. Anyone know why?

Presumably to avoid confusion with Southampton Airport?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2022 ==

"X Road" is the old version of "X Parkway", though the spaces actually at the station are privately owned there's a national park car park opposite.

You could almost call it "Ferny Crofts Scout Camp" as that's the only significant thing nearby bar the station pub/hotel and is why I've used it, but for this sort of station it barely matters what you call it as anyone who uses it will know.

'New Forest Halt' anyone?

 

[Bletchleyite]

'New Forest Halt' anyone?

I suppose it'd avoid the risk of anyone rocking up there and expecting to get to Beaulieu without their walking boots and a few hours.

 

[Magdalia]

No. As pioneered at New Pudsey

Thanks, I didn't know about New Pudsey. Perhaps it should belatedly be renamed Pudsey Parkway?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I must confess that to an extent I share the OP's aversion to "Parkway", particularly in cases where the station is actually fairly central such as at Didcot.

Similarly "Interchange" grinds my gears a little, but mostly because in GB stations where there's good integration between rail and bus seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It's also applied inconsistently- is Mansfield less of an interchange than Bradford? It's a similar distance between platform and bus concourse in both cases. There seems to be disagreement between what the local authority calls an 'interchange' and what the railway calls an 'interchange': Barnsley and Denby Dale being prime examples, though the latter is stretching the definition somewhat.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I must confess that to an extent I share the OP's aversion to "Parkway", particularly in cases where the station is actually fairly central such as at Didcot.

Similarly "Interchange" grinds my gears a little, but mostly because in GB stations where there's good integration between rail and bus seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It's also applied inconsistently- is Mansfield less of an interchange than Bradford? It's a similar distance between platform and bus concourse in both cases. There seems to be disagreement between what the local authority calls an 'interchange' and what the railway calls an 'interchange': Barnsley and Denby Dale being prime examples, though the latter is stretching the definition somewhat.

In Bradford's case isn't it more of "this one has the bus station, the other one doesn't"?

 

[Purple Train]

Colchester Town - Colchester City/Colchester Central (Colchester is no longer a town) - or alternatively it could just revert back to its former (and still locally used) name of St Botolph's.
Colchester - Colchester North - also its local name, but also quite useful for anyone wanting to go into Colchester, given Colchester (North) station is quite some way from the city centre.
Mansfield could also revert back to its former name of Mansfield Town (which is also its locally used name).
I agree with the idea of renaming Acton Main Line station Acton Elizabeth - it's not handily situated for the town centre, it's not an important station on the "Main Line", and all the geographic possibilities have been taken already. Farnborough's stations could also do with a tweak - looking at Google Maps, might Farnborough Park (Main) and Farnborough Street (North) work, or do the areas of town named that only exist in Google Maps's imagination?

 

[zwk500]

I agree with the idea of renaming Acton Main Line station Acton Elizabeth - it's not handily situated for the town centre, it's not an important station on the "Main Line", and all the geographic possibilities have been taken already.

Acton Relief Line is the suggestion that gets a knowing chuckle. I'd personally go for Acton Crossrail rather than Acton Elizabeth Line but then I just dislike the hideous sycophancy.

Farnborough's stations could also do with a tweak - looking at Google Maps, might Farnborough Park (Main) and Farnborough Street (North) work, or do the areas of town named that only exist in Google Maps's imagination?

Farnborough North is fine, and I'm not convinced main needs renaming, although I'd call it either Farnborough Town or Farnborough central, as Farnborough Park suggests it's on the outer edge of town rather than in the middle.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Preston Park - North Brighton
Preston then can lose its unnecessary Lancs suffix

 

[Purple Train]

Acton Relief Line is the suggestion that gets a knowing chuckle. I'd personally go for Acton Crossrail rather than Acton Elizabeth Line but then I just dislike the hideous sycophancy.

Farnborough North is fine, and I'm not convinced main needs renaming, although I'd call it either Farnborough Town or Farnborough central, as Farnborough Park suggests it's on the outer edge of town rather than in the middle.

Google Maps suggests it's not particularly "central", and I think they could do with renaming to highlight the fact that they're basically east/west of each other, but that's just me being pedantic.
Which brings me on to Canterbury East and West - North and South? Or something a little more adventurous, such as Canterbury Stour and Canterbury Castle?

 

[Neptune]

In Bradford's case isn't it more of "this one has the bus station, the other one doesn't"?

Bus and rail stations share a concourse at Bradford Interchange.

 

[The Planner]

Beaulieu Road is nowhere near Beaulieu. It's in the middle of the New Forest about three miles north. Although to be honest you could call it whatever you liked as it's the least used station in Hampshire and doesnt get many passengers anyway.

Southampton Central is an interesting one. It was renamed Southampton Central in the thirties to differentiate from Southampton Terminus, which has since closed. It then changed to just Southampton when the terminus station closed, then reverted to Southampton Central in the early nineties. Anyone know why?

Its on Beaulieu Road though. Build a car park and call it Lyndhurst Parkway, the verderers will love that idea..

 

[Kilopylae]

• Ashford International -> Ashford (Kent)

I have a similar distaste for the county suffixes as you do for 'Parkway'!

• Bath Spa -> Bath

Why? It's historic and appropriate.

• Bicester Village -> Bicester Town

Isn't it more or less a station for the semi-well-known shopping centre? (Emphasis on 'semi'). Although to be fair I know this one does annoy locals a bit, so perhaps Bicester Town would be fine.

• Bodmin Parkway -> Bodmin

It's miles from Bodmin and not safe to walk to from there. You may as well call it Greymare Woods.

• Bristol Parkway -> Stoke Gifford

Misleading, as it's not primarily a local station for Stoke Gifford et al. You'd be better off calling it "Junction 19" or "M4 Hambrook Roundabout" or something.

• Bristol Temple Meads -> Bristol

As others have pointed out, this would be a little confusing. A lot of people from Devon also refer just to "Temple Meads" in the same fashion as, say, "New Street" when talking about changing trains here.

• Durrington On Sea -> Durrington

That's the name of the town!

• Edinburgh -> Edinburgh Waverley

Edinburgh Waverley might as well have it on the signs. Almost everyone calls it that.

This is the first I'm learning it's not official!

• Goring By Sea -> Goring (Sussex)

Also the town's name.

• Oxford Parkway -> Oxford North

"Kidlington" or "Cutteslowe" would be better.

• Tiverton Parkway -> Sampford Peverell For Tiverton

Just "Sampford Peverell" would be better, or maybe "North Willand".
[/QUOTE]

Three Bridges = Crawley East

I would say Three Bridges is too important of a route-planning/interchange milestone to rename (like Clapham Jn and Temple Meads).

Exeter St Davids
...
Any bits not in bold would be removed from the station name, although this proposal is all tongue in cheek anyway.

You can pry St Davids from my cold dead hands!

Watford Junction

Any bits not in bold would be removed from the station name, although this proposal is all tongue in cheek anyway.

This would be a bit confusing with the Tube, although no doubt appropriate if the Croxley link ever happens (unlikely).

Aside from emphasising that I'd agree with renaming Oxford Parkway, my contribution is the Tarka Line halts that are in the middle of nowhere anyway, but are named after somewhere no-one has heard of that is far away rather than the place no-one has heard of which they are actually in. For instance, Newton St Cyres really should be called Sweetham, and Kings Nympton should be called Fortescue Cross.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Its on Beaulieu Road though. Build a car park and call it Lyndhurst Parkway, the verderers will love that idea..

I was going to suggest it being called something related to Lyndhurst, but Ashurst (New Forest) is a mile or two closer.

There is in fact a car park opposite it.

 

[PTR 444]

You can pry St Davids from my cold dead hands!

This would be a bit confusing with the Tube, although no doubt appropriate if the Croxley link ever happens (unlikely).

In my examples, those two stations would be called Exeter Hauptbahnhof and Watford Hauptbahnhof respectively (to distinguish from Watford High Street and Exeter Central which are less important for those places).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Regarding Bicester Village, it's so named after the shopping arcade which it serves. It used to be called Bicester Town, and before that Bicester London Road.

Locals don't care what it's called, I reckon, as they know where it is. So it makes sense to name it for the destination.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2022 ==

In my examples, those two stations would be called Exeter Hauptbahnhof and Watford Hauptbahnhof respectively (to distinguish from Watford High Street and Exeter Central which are less important for those places).

You could hardly actually use the word Hbf, but I guess "Main" would be an English suffix, or "General".

 

[zwk500]

Locals don't care what it's called, I reckon, as they know where it is. So it makes sense to name it for the destination.

I agree, particularly for Bicester Village it's more important that tourists know which station in Bicester to aim for. Assuming the only reason you'd ever think of visiting Bicester is Bicester Village shopping, then no reason to change the station name.

You could hardly actually use the word Hbf, but I guess "Main" would be an English suffix, or "General".

General is probably the closest match in terms of sense and contexts. Although some stations that might be Hbfs could also use 'Central' or 'City'

 

[kwrail]

I was going to suggest it being called something related to Lyndhurst, but Ashurst (New Forest) is a mile or two closer.

There is in fact a car park opposite it.

Ashurst (New Forest) used to be called Lyndhurst Road. It got renamed in the nineties

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In Bradford's case isn't it more of "this one has the bus station, the other one doesn't"?

Yes, but my point was that calling stations "X Interchange" isn't applied consistently. Mansfield is just Mansfield, Barnsley is just Barnsley as far as the railway is concerned but Barnsley Interchange if you ask Travel South Yorkshire. Really though, the bus/rail integration at these stations really should be the norm rather than the exception, which would render the 'Interchange' suffix redundant. Bradford's stations could then simply be called Bradford North (Forster Square) and Bradford South (Exchange).

Bus and rail stations share a concourse at Bradford Interchange.

There's the shared concourse in the undercroft, but since the rebuild of the bus station twenty years ago it also has a secondary concourse upstairs which is where you'd wait for your bus. The undercroft bit these days is not a particularly pleasant place to wait because it's mostly a thoroughfare with a lack of seating and natural light.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Not even open yet, but Headbolt Lane should be Kirkby Headbolt Lane or Kirkby Tower Hill, especially as trains from as far away as Manchester will be terminating there.

 

[NorthKent1989]

Westcombe Park - Blackheath Royal Standard, having lived in the area for years, nobody calls the area around this station Westcombe Park, it’s known locally as Blackheath Royal Standard, so maybe call it Blackheath North for a simpler name.

Stratford International - Stratford Highspeed, international trains have never, nor ever likely to ever call at Stratford, it’s served only by Southeastern Highspeed trains so Stratford Highspeed makes more sense.

Denmark Hill - Camberwell, Denmark Hill is a sub district for the larger area, a compromise could be Denmark Hill for Camberwell or Camberwell & Denmark Hill

North Dulwich - Dulwich Village, quite frankly I find all the stations in Dulwich geographically challenged, North Dulwich is west of the Village area which itself is really west of West Dulwich station, which in turn is technically South Dulwich and East Dulwich is more north than North Dulwich.

Catford & Catford Bridge - Catford Town, I do recall a plan to have one complex for these two stations to merge into years and years ago but it never happened obviously but had it happened, Catford Town would be my name for it.

 

[Kilopylae]

Stratford International - Stratford Highspeed, international trains have never, nor ever likely to ever call at Stratford, it’s served only by Southeastern Highspeed trains so Stratford Highspeed makes more sense.

Denmark Hill - Camberwell, Denmark Hill is a sub district for the larger area, a compromise could be Denmark Hill for Camberwell or Camberwell & Denmark Hill

Agreed on both, though isn't High Speed two words?

 

[NorthKent1989]

Agreed on both, though isn't High Speed two words?

It is, you’re right, but Southeastern spell it as one word

 

[leytongabriel]

Wanstead Park ( which it isn't near) to Wanstead Flats ( which it is)
Arsenal (tube) back to Highbury Hill
Stratford International as mentioned above could go to Stratford City which is the name of the bus terminus on that side
Loughborough Junction doesn't make much sense to me.
Millbrook to Freemantle

And to put the cat among the pigeons perhaps a Wallingford Parkway and Abingdon Parkway if the stations in nearby villages were renamed and had adequate parking.

 

[Kilopylae]

And to put the cat among the pigeons perhaps a Wallingford Parkway and Abingdon Parkway if the stations in nearby villages were renamed and had adequate parking.

Or perhaps rename Radley to Oxford South Parkway and the one near Kidlington to Oxford North Parkway :P

 

[Grumpy]

Perhaps it should belatedly be renamed Pudsey Parkway?

I don't think that would achieve anything. People in the area know it's there and what it is. Simply renaming it would just attract ridicule in the local press.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Maybe Mottingham could revert to its old name of Eltham & Mottingham so as to avoid any confusion over mis-hearing it as Nottingham.

 

[Grumpy]

In Bradford's case isn't it more of "this one has the bus station, the other one doesn't"?

Or " the White elephant that wasted millions of pounds of ratepayers' money, the other one that didn't"

 

[D6130]

Thanks, I didn't know about New Pudsey. Perhaps it should belatedly be renamed Pudsey Parkway?

Come to think of it, New Pudsey - opened in 1967 - should have been named Stanningley, after the village (now suburb) in which it is situated. It's quite a distance from most parts of Pudsey.