What would you do if you could rename any stations.

[backontrack]

Brampton (Cumbria): Brampton and Talkin
Braystones: Braystones and Beckermet

 

[py_megapixel]

I assume it's already been pointed out that Clapham Junction is in Battersea, not Clapham.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I assume it's already been pointed out that Clapham Junction is in Battersea, not Clapham.

Deansgate Junction is actually in Altrincham. The station is named quite clearly after the junction.

 

[Andyjs247]

I assume it's already been pointed out that Clapham Junction is in Battersea, not Clapham.

Clapham Junction station is nearer Battersea but nowadays the local area is also known as Clapham Junction.

Meanwhile Bicester Village should become Bicester.

And Didcot Parkway should become Didcot.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Clapham Junction station is nearer Battersea but nowadays the local area is also known as Clapham Junction.

Meanwhile Bicester Village should become Bicester.

And Didcot Parkway should become Didcot.

I get why you'd want Bicester Village to become just Bicester, but it would have to be named based on its location (i.e Bicester South) because people could easily get confused with Bicester North on the CML, which is a very long walk right across the town centre and even Bicester South doesn't really describe the area. Didcot Parkway is a very accurate name given a lot of its patronage comes from its large car park.

 

[Andyjs247]

I get why you'd want Bicester Village to become just Bicester, but it would have to be named based on its location (i.e Bicester South) because people could easily get confused with Bicester North on the CML, which is a very long walk right across the town centre and even Bicester South doesn't really describe the area. Didcot Parkway is a very accurate name given a lot of its patronage comes from its large car park.

The latest usage figures for Bicester Village (50% increase and almost 2 million users) clearly show that it is now the main station for Bicester and more convenient for the town centre as well. Bicester North was down 15%, Marylebone was flat. Meanwhile Oxford was also up 20% showing that that is where the growth is. Commuting into Oxford is only going to grow once EWR gets going with 5tph to Oxford.

 

[AlastairFraser]

The latest usage figures for Bicester Village (50% increase and almost 2 million users) clearly show that it is now the main station for Bicester and more convenient for the town centre as well. Bicester North was down 15%, Marylebone was flat. Meanwhile Oxford was also up 20% showing that that is where the growth is. Commuting into Oxford is only going to grow once EWR gets going with 5tph to Oxford.

I imagine that the figures for Bicester North temporarily rose because of the closure of the Oxford-Bicester line for Evergreen 3 rebuilding (and provision for EWR) and then dropped again as commuters returned to their usual commutes pre-closure (This may have taken a few years.) It may be the main station for Bicester in terms of figures but let's remember, at the moment, it falls short of the extra connectivity Bicester North provides. Bicester Nth has direct trains to Birmingham and London Marylebone but Bicester Village currently only has direct trains to London Marylebone and Oxford at the other end. Bicester Village is only marginally closer to the town centre than Bicester North. Oxford was probably up 20 percent because of growth in the city itself and northern South Oxon. Didcot serves a different area as the railhead for the Vale and western South Oxfordshire (I know Wallingford is closer to Cholsey but that doesn't have quite a wide range of services as Didcot Parkway does).Didcot also has better road connections then any of the other rail stations in the area (Radley, Culham, Cholsey and Goring and Streatley).

 

[Grumbler]

Clarity and avoiding ambiguity are important. For example, for travellers in a hurry at Norwich, burdened with luggage and with young children, then signs saying the train on the left is for "London Liverpool Street" and the one on the right is for "Liverpool Lime Street" are not helpful - it is not surprising that some board the wrong train.

 

[Killingworth]

Clarity and avoiding ambiguity are important. For example, for travellers in a hurry at Norwich, burdened with luggage and with young children, then signs saying the train on the left is for "London Liverpool Street" and the one on the right is for "Liverpool Lime Street" are not helpful - it is not surprising that some board the wrong train.

I noted that in Norwich. I wonder how many other stations on the network have through trains to both?

 

[Esker-pades]

I noted that in Norwich. I wonder how many other stations on the network have through trains to both?

Ely is the only other one I can think of.

 

[Esker-pades]

Clarity and avoiding ambiguity are important. For example, for travellers in a hurry at Norwich, burdened with luggage and with young children, then signs saying the train on the left is for "London Liverpool Street" and the one on the right is for "Liverpool Lime Street" are not helpful - it is not surprising that some board the wrong train.

I think the solution is to have those trains advertised as "London L St" or "Liverpool L St". The current solution to have "London Liverpool Street" and "Lime Street Liverpool" is weird and still doesn't help.

 

[Killingworth]

We seem to have a new station in the north. It's called Manchester Picc on visual displays and the automated lady carefully announces it as Manchester Pick on platforms.

It is, of course, the pick of Manchester stations for those of us coming from the south and east. Does the other main station get called Manchester Vick?

 

[Grumbler]

I think the solution is to have those trains advertised as "London L St" or "Liverpool L St". The current solution to have "London Liverpool Street" and "Lime Street Liverpool" is weird and still doesn't help.

London Liverpool Sreet is the source of confusion, so I suggest should be renamed e.g. London Bishopsgate, London Anglia.

 

[PR1Berske]

Maybe;

"London Liv St."
"Liverpool Lime St."

Emphasise the city, not the street.

 

[sprunt]

London Liverpool Sreet is the source of confusion, so I suggest should be renamed e.g. London Bishopsgate, London Anglia.

London City Non-Thameslink.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Maybe;

"London Liv St."
"Liverpool Lime St."

Emphasise the city, not the street.

The way the confusion is (or was) I believe avoided at Ely is by using "London Liverpool Street" and "Lime Street, Liverpool", which are different enough for it to be really obvious, and just like VTWC get away with just putting "Euston" on the front of Voyagers most people going to Liverpool (particularly those who live there) do actually know the Hbf is called Lime St.

Using "London L.St." (but writing Lime St out more in full) would probably make that distinction even clearer.

 

[Grumbler]

The way the confusion is (or was) I believe avoided at Ely is by using "London Liverpool Street" and "Lime Street, Liverpool", which are different enough for it to be really obvious, and just like VTWC get away with just putting "Euston" on the front of Voyagers most people going to Liverpool (particularly those who live there) do actually know the Hbf is called Lime St.

Using "London L.St." (but writing Lime St out more in full) would probably make that distinction even clearer.

The problem is that when you are in a hurry and being distracted by general hubbub just one word might register. If that word is "Liverpool" it could mean getting on the wrong train - it's just the way the brain works. I don't know if there were cases of Belgians getting confused at Brussels getting on the wrong "Waterloo" train.

 

[xotGD]

London City Non-Thameslink.

Aldgate Mainline

 

[Esker-pades]

London Spitalfields?

 

[Antman]

Maybe;

"London Liv St."
"Liverpool Lime St."

Emphasise the city, not the street.

Just London and leave out the Liverpool Street bit would seem the only way to avoid this confusion?

 

[Grumbler]

Just London and leave out the Liverpool Street bit would seem the only way to avoid this confusion?

Agreed!

 

[IceAgeComing]

have the main destination indicator just say LONDON or LIVERPOOL would seem to be the clear solution - unless you have trains to two terminal stations in London then that would be the simple way to do it. Wouldn't work in places where you have a choice - but in that case it just seems incredibly simple.

 

[VT 390]

I would rename East Midlands Parkway to East Midlands Airport Parkway

 

[xotGD]

I would rename East Midlands Parkway to East Midlands Airport Parkway

Why do that when the station isn't there to serve the airport? It is a park and ride station for folks in the East Midlands wanting to go to London.

 

[Antman]

have the main destination indicator just say LONDON or LIVERPOOL would seem to be the clear solution - unless you have trains to two terminal stations in London then that would be the simple way to do it. Wouldn't work in places where you have a choice - but in that case it just seems incredibly simple.

Liverpool Lime Street would still be ok, just got to stop using the word Liverpool in both destinations.

 

[Deerfold]

I would rename East Midlands Parkway to East Midlands Airport Parkway

We've had that suggestion (and argument) before in this thread.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I think the solution is to have those trains advertised as "London L St" or "Liverpool L St". The current solution to have "London Liverpool Street" and "Lime Street Liverpool" is weird and still doesn't help.

Or, as someone has suggested earlier, rename Liverpool Street as Bishopsgate. The eastern side of the station is on Bishopsgate in any case.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Turkey Street = Bullsmoor

Turkey Street is on Turkey Street, and Bullsmore Lane is well to the north. The area has long been called Turkey Street (despite that, just to be awkward, the station was originally called Fortyhill, see this map). Also the name has a rather nice farmyard feel to it.

Chiswick Park needs to be renamed, as it's nowhere near the actual Chiswick Park, which is in Burlington Lane, about a mile to the south. It's closer to Turnham Green than Turnham Green station (which is itself on the eastern edge of Chiswick Common), and on the western edge of Acton Green, but do we need yet another Acton station?

How about changing Osterley to Scrattage? That was the name for the area where the original station was built -- see this map -- and the later one is still close by. Scrattage is an old name that has almost entirely disappeared from the Middlesex map, and I think it should be revived.

I agree with the post that said that Dalston Junction is not an apt name as it is no longer a junction: how about Dalston Lane, as it is on that street?

 

[Mikey C]

Turkey Street is on Turkey Street, and Bullsmore Lane is well to the north. The area has long been called Turkey Street (despite that, just to be awkward, the station was originally called Fortyhill, see this map). Also the name has a rather nice farmyard feel to it.

Chiswick Park needs to be renamed, as it's nowhere near the actual Chiswick Park, which is in Burlington Lane, about a mile to the south. It's closer to Turnham Green than Turnham Green station (which is itself on the eastern edge of Chiswick Common), and on the western edge of Acton Green, but do we need yet another Acton station?

How about changing Osterley to Scrattage? That was the name for the area where the original station was built -- see this map -- and the later one is still close by. Scrattage is an old name that has almost entirely disappeared from the Middlesex map, and I think it should be revived.

I agree with the post that said that Dalston Junction is not an apt name as it is no longer a junction: how about Dalston Lane, as it is on that street?

Turkey Street station is right next to the Turkey Brook too, so the name fits the area well. And it makes me smile

I think the Dalston Junction name is quite ingrained in the area. And while the station isn't a junction, at some point in the future the chord could be reinstated (if unlikely)

 

[Dr_Paul]

I assume it's already been pointed out that Clapham Junction is in Battersea, not Clapham.

True, and my old Bradshaw's states that it is in Battersea. However, the station is very well known as that, and to change its name would merely confuse people. Someone else pointed out, correctly, that the area is known as Clapham Junction.

Similarly, the area around Loughborough Junction has become known as that, and to change it to something else, as has been suggested above, on the grounds that it is not an actual junction station, would not help matters.