Why does google not show railway station postcodes

[Jamiescott1]

Had some delays recently and asked my partner to collect me from alternative stations.
Typing most places into Google will bring up an address and postcode but if If type in a railway station (for example "maidenhead railway station") Google shows train departure times but not postcode or address

 

[Factotum]

Had some delays recently and asked my partner to collect me from alternative stations.
Typing most places into Google will bring up an address and postcode but if If type in a railway station (for example "maidenhead railway station") Google shows train departure times but not postcode or address

All of the rail;way stations I use frequently display their postcodes in Google. Though, I agree, Maidenhead doesn't

 

[ExRes]

Interesting, I've just typed in Three Bridges Station on google and the postcode is instantly available, type in Paignton Station and it's not

 

[kraiken]

It depends on the data that Google has, and this comes from numerous sources, but not the official Royal Mail PAF (postcode address file) database as you need to pay to access that. There is a 'suggest an edit' button where you can suggest Google adds the postcode. However if you are picking someone up, you'd put the name into Google Maps not a search and that can guide you there. But you may want to select a specific entrance/pick-up point rather than the general location of the station. We are quite fortunate in that postcodes in UK are as specific as they are (there are a maximum number of delivery points per postcode), so they can often be used for navigation. In most countries you need to enter an address for the same level of detail (consider the area that a US zip code covers for example).

 

[norbitonflyer]

Interesting, I've just typed in Three Bridges Station on google and the postcode is instantly available, type in Paignton Station and it's not

The National Rail website for each station gives its postcode
National Rail Enquiries - Station facilities for Paignton

 

[urbophile]

Google maps rarely show clearly the location of railway stations, and sometimes mislocate them altogether.

 

[Jamiescott1]

The National Rail website for each station gives its postcode
National Rail Enquiries - Station facilities for Paignton

Thanks. Both maidenhead and Slough didn't show postcodes on Google.
My partner seems reluctant to use Google maps on her phone and uses her 10 year old satnav (which hasn't been updated in that time).

 

[Acton1991]

Google also have inconsistencies with the icon used for stations and therefore the info it provides.

Most stations you can click on the icon (Double Arrow/Tube logo etc) and it gives live departure information.

Others (North Acton for example) show a generic blue ‘station’ icon that brings up info pulled from Wikipedia vs a live departure display. It’s pretty frustrating!

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks. Both maidenhead and Slough didn't show postcodes on Google.
My partner seems reluctant to use Google maps on her phone and uses her 10 year old satnav (which hasn't been updated in that time).

It’s sometimes worth trying a pin in the road outside the station in Google maps - that seems to bring up postcodes which should be good enough for getting a satnav to Maidenhead

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Google also have inconsistencies with the icon used for stations and therefore the info it provides.

Most stations you can click on the icon (Double Arrow/Tube logo etc) and it gives live departure information.

Others (North Acton for example) show a generic blue ‘station’ icon that brings up info pulled from Wikipedia vs a live departure display. It’s pretty frustrating!

Windows 10 Maps gives W3 6UP as the post code for North Acton Station. Perhaps people should not rely wholly on Google.

 

[YorksLad12]

Station post codes don't always take you to where you need to be, for example at a large station. Typing LS1 4DY for Leeds comes up with several pins around New Station Street, none of which is the car parks or pick-up/drop-off point off Aire Street or the Southern Entrance (which I'm sure has a different post code, for blue light reasons).

But I confess to being surprised that Google doesn't have at least one post code for every station; they must be freely available somewhere as I have them. But I grabbed them so long ago I can't remember how...

 

[pdq]

Do all stations actually have postcodes? Unmanned ones will never receive any post so I assume it's not needed.

 

[AM9]

Do all stations actually have postcodes? Unmanned ones will never receive any post so I assume it's not needed.

Well, Berney Arms does - NR30 1SB, although that is shared with the Marina which is nearly a 1Km walk away.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Well, Berney Arms does - NR30 1SB, although that is shared with the Marina which is nearly a 1Km walk away.

Maybe that's the point. Often a single postcode is shared between a dozen or so individual addresses in the local area. Which is then the right address to use?

 

[Mojo]

Google also have inconsistencies with the icon used for stations and therefore the info it provides.

Most stations you can click on the icon (Double Arrow/Tube logo etc) and it gives live departure information.

Others (North Acton for example) show a generic blue ‘station’ icon that brings up info pulled from Wikipedia vs a live departure display. It’s pretty frustrating!

It’s quite frustrating and there doesn’t seem to be any process for reporting or correcting any errors. You can click on the edit button but doesn’t seem to be able to pick ‘Underground station’ as a category.

Hillingdon Underground station is similar; it has the BR double arrow logo so there’s no live departure boards as it thinks it’s a National Rail station. The annoying thing is that Hillingdon Underground station does exist but doesn’t show on the map (you can open the page if you search for it). Even reporting the BR logo as a duplicate doesn’t do anything. If you look at the reviews this has been going on for over 4 years.

 

[kieron]

Do all stations actually have postcodes? Unmanned ones will never receive any post so I assume it's not needed.

As far as I know, most of the postcodes are ones for somewhere near the station rather than the station itself. Royal Mail haven't, as a rule, allocated any postcodes at all to stations.

This isn't a bad thing, as postcodes can help with navigation. I'm pretty sure they're not used operationally, though, as the postcode given for Hawarden is CH5 1PY, which is a couple of miles away.

 

[bluenoxid]

Do all stations actually have postcodes? Unmanned ones will never receive any post so I assume it's not needed.

I’m trying to recall what I saw for an unmanned station a good few years ago. Might have been an electric bill because they will probably have a separate supply point.

 

[ess]

Royal Mail doesn't have an entry for Maidenhead Railway Station. Instead there's...

Great Western Trains
Station Forecourt
Station Approach
MAIDENHEAD
SL6 1EW

 

[462cd]

Odd that "Maidenhead Train Station" returns the postcode but "Maidenhead Railway station" does not.

 

[Hadrian]

The postcode system was assembled by Royal Mail to suit their needs - specifically for the sorting of post. It is remarkably unsuitable for many of the purposes for which other organisations (and people) attempt to use it. Postcodes do not, generally, uniquely identify single buildings or locations. In some rural areas a single postcode can include buildings more than five miles apart.

Other organisations attempt, with varying degrees of success, to use postcodes for location identification because the cost of using PAF (Postal Address File) data is usually much less than assembling a more suitable database from scratch.

I am not aware of how other countries have chosen to tackle (or ignore) such needs - so I am unable to say with any confidence that the way some organisations choose to attempt to use postcodes results in a uniquely United Kingdom mess!

 

[Meole]

Exactly hence postcodes cross country boundaries as with England/Wales , its essentially an internal problem solve.

 

[ASharpe]

Postcodes are far from ideal for finding a specific location.

Lat-lon is almost perfect, but needs altitude for flats.

There are also solutions like what3emoji that are more user friendly than lat-lons.

what3emojis explore the map

The best way to address the world using humanity’s only common, unambiguous language

what3emojis.com

 

[Horizon22]

It’s quite frustrating and there doesn’t seem to be any process for reporting or correcting any errors. You can click on the edit button but doesn’t seem to be able to pick ‘Underground station’ as a category.

Hillingdon Underground station is similar; it has the BR double arrow logo so there’s no live departure boards as it thinks it’s a National Rail station. The annoying thing is that Hillingdon Underground station does exist but doesn’t show on the map (you can open the page if you search for it). Even reporting the BR logo as a duplicate doesn’t do anything. If you look at the reviews this has been going on for over 4 years.

Very frustrating - I've tried to report Hillingdon before and you simply can't! There's also no free form - "contact us" so it doesn't help.

 

[Acton1991]

Very frustrating - I've tried to report Hillingdon before and you simply can't! There's also no free form - "contact us" so it doesn't help.

I've reported as a duplicate SO many times for North Acton... they just don't care! It's even more frustrating as the North Acton tube station with live departure information is also there, if you zoom right into the location.