Stations which should be renamed

[IanXC]

On a marginally related subject, when did 'Stainforth and Hatfield' become 'Hatfield and Stainforth' and why?

Hmm, not a great source clearly, and strange decision but wikipedia says:

The original station, known until the 1990s as "Stainforth and Hatfield" and was built in 1866 as a replacement for the South Yorkshire Railway's Stainforth when their line was brought to its present alignment. The station was renamed Hatfield and Stainforth in the 1990s when it was considered that Hatfield was the larger of the two and had the larger population.

Cardiff Queen Street has always been a bit of a mouthful for me, and I'm not keen on stations near each other having similar names.

Given that the nearest other station called Queen Street is in Glasgow, couldn't the "Cardiff" part be dropped or the station renamed Cardiff East?

That would be "University" all over again! "Cardiff East" perhaps, but please not "Queen Street"!

 

[Gwenllian2001]

Cardiff Queen Street has always been a bit of a mouthful for me, and I'm not keen on stations near each other having similar names.

Given that the nearest other station called Queen Street is in Glasgow, couldn't the "Cardiff" part be dropped or the station renamed Cardiff East?

Also Maesteg Ewenny Road could be Maesteg Bethania or Maesteg Royal Oak.

Cardiff Queen Street is hangover from the days of when Cardiff Parade was just over the road. I've never heard anyone else complain about it but, of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

As for Maesteg Ewenny Road, it is only referred to by that name in timetables and announcements. The nameboards on the station read 'Ewenny Road'. In any case it is adjacent to Ewenny Road which is nearer than either Bethania Chapel or the Royal Oak pub. In the early days of railways, it was quite commonplace to name stations after pubs but Ewenny Road is alright where it is.

 

[LE Greys]

'titanic quarter' in belfast back to 'bridge end' (pleeeeaaase!).

+1

+2___

 

[12CSVT]

Cardiff Queen Street has always been a bit of a mouthful for me.

It's an even bigger mouthful if you are speaking the native language (Caerdydd Hoel Y Frenhines)

 

[Matt Taylor]

Regarding Portsmouth...

Or just provide a connecting limited stop bus service that runs Fratton - Southsea - Clarence Pier - The Hard. That also works



+1

Which already exists courtesy of Hovertravel!! Also the 700 Coastliner bus does pretty much the same.

Southsea doesn't need to be mentioned at all and Fratton and PMS are both the same distance from Southsea so SWT could do what they did at Pokesdown and try xxxxxxx for Southsea. But the harbour station really needs changing, nobody ever asks for a ticket to Portsmouth Harbour, they ask for Gunwharf. Even Portsmouth Dockyard would be better than the current setup.

 

[Gwenllian2001]

It's an even bigger mouthful if you are speaking the native language (Caerdydd Hoel Y Frenhines)

Not really, especially if you spell it correctly.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Cardiff Queen Street appears on Timetables and other 'official' literature as well as on the station itself. In general usage it is just Queen Street as in:

'Does this train go to Queen Street?'.

The former station at Cardiff Clarence Road was referred to in the same manner as was Cardiff Bute Road before it was changed to Cardiff Bay. Now it's 'The Bay'. Cardiff Central is usually shortened to Central, although many people still call it by its old name; 'The General'.

Believe it or not, there are many people out there who need to be told the difference. It is no good to just tell them to change at Cardiff or they might be waiting all day at Queen Street for a train to Gloucester; Bristol or London.

I once spent a long time convincing a member of the public that he should not go from Barry via Merthyr Tydfil to Abergavenny. He insisted that he had always gone that way. This was about twenty years after the Merthyr - Abergavenny line had been closed and lifted!

 

[SussexSpotter]

Well seeing as Staines has recently become Staines-Upon-Thames, I believe they should change the signs on the stations as well. Not sure if there are any plans do so or not?

 

[12CSVT]

Not really, especially if you spell it correctly.

Blame 'Track Atlas of Mainland Britain' if I spelt it wrong.

 

[Michael.Y]

Blame 'Track Atlas of Mainland Britain' if I spelt it wrong.

From what I can see, you've only got your o and e in Heol back to front.

 

[pitdiver]

Which already exists courtesy of Hovertravel!! Also the 700 Coastliner bus does pretty much the same.

Southsea doesn't need to be mentioned at all and Fratton and PMS are both the same distance from Southsea so SWT could do what they did at Pokesdown and try xxxxxxx for Southsea. But the harbour station really needs changing, nobody ever asks for a ticket to Portsmouth Harbour, they ask for Gunwharf. Even Portsmouth Dockyard would be better than the current setup.

I have since childhood when going on holiday to the IOW used Portsmouth HARBOUR station. The very name conjures up visions of holidays, catching the ferry over to Ryde and two week or more in the sun. Please don't change it to "Gunwharf" doesn't quite have the same meaning.

 

[Gwenllian2001]

From what I can see, you've only got your o and e in Heol back to front.

Which renders the word meaningless .....

 

[Michael.Y]

But understandable to anyone with half a brain.

 

[tbtc]

Cardiff Queen Street has always been a bit of a mouthful for me

It's an even bigger mouthful if you are speaking the native language (Caerdydd Hoel Y Frenhines)

Not really, especially if you spell it correctly

Blame 'Track Atlas of Mainland Britain' if I spelt it wrong.

From what I can see, you've only got your o and e in Heol back to front.

Which renders the word meaningless .....

How is it a bigger/smaller mouthful depending on whether you write it as Heol or Hoel?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I don't fully understand why this thread has been moved but never mind!

Neither do I.

Infrastructure, maybe, but it's not Traction or Rolling Stock...

 

[Eagle]

How is it a bigger/smaller mouthful depending on whether you write it as Heol or Hoel?

Heol is two syllables, Hoel would be one :P

#amateurlinguist

 

[Michael.Y]

Depends on the size of the mouth and tongue dexterity also. FWIW, I would put the h and oe sound together, "hyol" almost.

 

[PR1Berske]

Thanks Mods for moving this somewhere else

Though the automatic message still gives the impression that's it my fault :roll:

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Gainsborough Central, Rotherham Central and Warrington Central (although that only barely makes it because of the Cheshire Lines Committee IIRC) are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Loughborough/Leicester/Rugby/Brackley/New Mills/Wath/Chesterfield/St Helens/Wigan/Widnes/Wrexham were a few more.
Liverpool and Manchester Central were at least 50% named because of the GC (although they were also Central geographically).


And while we are at it, can somebody please have the courage to change St Helens Junction (last branch passenger train in 1965, track severed and lifted in the 1990s) to St Helens South?

 

[PR1Berske]

Loughborough/Leicester/Rugby/Brackley/New Mills/Wath/Chesterfield/St Helens/Wigan/Widnes/Wrexham were a few more.
Liverpool and Manchester Central were at least 50% named because of the GC (although they were also Central geographically).


And while we are at it, can somebody please have the courage to change St Helens Junction (last branch passenger train in 1965, track severed and lifted in the 1990s) to St Helens South?

Only if Burscough Junction can be renamed too

 

[BestWestern]

Portsmouth is another example of a place with two "main" stations where neither's name obviously suggests the "centre" - must confuse some visitors.

Agreed. Whilst I think that Portsmouth Harbour is a perfectly acceptable name - Gunwharf would be a worrying example of corporate plugging, intentional or not! - I agree that Portsmouth & Southsea desperately needs renaming something more sensible, and Portsmouth Central would be very logical. The station does not serve Southsea at all, except with the use of a bus or taxi, and tourist traffic to Southsea (I presume the original reason for the name?!) dried up a very long time ago.

On a wider scale, I would quite like to see an advertised national policy of any major location with several stations having the designated 'main' or primary station renamed "XX Central" wherever practicable, which I'm sure would help a great deal.

 

[Andyjs247]

Didcot Parkway => Didcot

...because the name implies the station is remote from the town centre. Been suggested by the local council apparently.

Birmingham New Street => Birmingham Central perhaps?

...because its not in New Street, the main entrance (i.e. with the glass doors) is approached via Queens Drive from Smallbrook Queensway.

Bicester Town => Bicester Village? *

Might encourage more people to travel by train to Bicester Village instead of clogging the local roads and parking on A41 (* only after Oxford - Marylebone plus E-W rail happen)

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

Lostock > Lostock Junction or Lostock Bolton
Squires Gate > Blackpool airport
Salford Crescent > Salford University
Mancester Oxford Road > Manchester University stations
Wigan Wallgate > Wigan Gateway
Oxenholme Lake District > South Kendal

 

[6Gman]

Oxenholme Lake District > South Kendal

Oxenholme Lake District to Oxenholme

 

[stut]

Lostock -> Lostock & Barrel
Anerley -> Oreley
Birmingham Snow Hill -> Colmore Row Multi-Storey
Elsenham -> Stansted-on-the-Cheap
Shipley -> Bermuda Triangle

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

Oxenholme Lake District to Oxenholme

Hehe, Oxenholme must be the smallest place in the country to have a mainline station. There is very little within the vicinity of the area and it simply serves as a 'gateway' station to the Lake District.

 

[83G/84D]

Roche (on the Newquay branch line) to Victoria as the station is nearer to the latter, than the former. It is a good walk of around a mile from Roche station to the village along an unlit busyroad with no pavement for around half a mile.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Birmingham New Street => Birmingham Central perhaps?

...because its not in New Street, the main entrance (i.e. with the glass doors) is approached via Queens Drive from Smallbrook Queensway.

Bicester Town => Bicester Village? *

Might encourage more people to travel by train to Bicester Village instead of clogging the local roads and parking on A41 (* only after Oxford - Marylebone plus E-W rail happen)

New Street was on New Street when it was opened as far as I am aware, its just that over the years building work at the station and in the city has seen the main entrance move. Millions of people a year still exit the station onto New Street (via the Pallasades) though probably less than did before the Bullring reopened a few years ago. I do wonder what the "main" exit will be when Gateway Plus is complete, will more people exit onto Stephenson Street as it seems quite quiet outside of peak hours to me.

And I can tell you though experience that Bicester Village will be swamped by shoppers when Marylebone - Bicester - Oxford is open. Bicester North can barely cope with the number of shoppers who are coming in from London as it is, every train sees scores of people getting off for the Village (or coming back from the Village) and there is a small fleet of coaches to take people to and from which constantly seems to be getting upgraded. When trains can go to Bicester Town and passengers can just walk to the shopping centre I think numbers will go up further. The only people to lose out will be the coach drivers (who I assume are employed by Bicester Village) and the taxi drivers who sit in the rank at the station and have a steady stream of passengers all day, often getting paid in both directions between the Village and Bicester North.
I am shocked that Thames didnt advertise Bicester more from Paddington when they were running the services because Chiltern have been making an absolute killing out of the place since it opened.

 

[SETCommuter]

I know I'll probably be accused of being pedantic, but looking at where the two Canterbury stations are located in relation to each other

Canterbury West should be Canterbury North
Canterbury East should be Canterbury South

I remember which is which through thinking of Canterbury West as the one near the Westgate Towers and East being "the other one" !!

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Lostock > Lostock Junction or Lostock Bolton
Squires Gate > Blackpool airport
Salford Crescent > Salford University
Mancester Oxford Road > Manchester University stations
Wigan Wallgate > Wigan Gateway
Oxenholme Lake District > South Kendal

Lostock Junction may give you the idea that you can go to Wigan from it (not yet), Crescent is on the Crescent but the Uni is a way away, Oxford Road is nowhere near any University (Manchester Palace?), Wallgate is on Wallgate and where is North Kendal to match South Kendal?

On that kind of logic Bletchley should be Milton Keynes South and Wolverton should be Milton Keynes North ...

 

[Deerfold]

On that kind of logic Bletchley should be Milton Keynes South and Wolverton should be Milton Keynes North ...

As indeed they were planned to be (http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1110241&postcount=91).

 

[telstarbox]

What's wrong with Oxford Road? It's a well-known road in Manchester and it's where the station is - if it ain't broke...