Rename Deansgate?

[py_megapixel]

I really think the name "Deansgate" doesn't suit the station very well. Firstly, as it's part of the Manchester station group and located in TfGM zone 1, calling it something beginning with Manchester would certainly make sense - but also, it serves much more than just Deansgate.

With that in mind, some suggestions:

• Manchester Deansgate (Deansgate is sometimes referred to as this anyway)
• Manchester Castlefield
• Manchester Deansgate-Castlefield (a bit of a mouthful, but had the advantage of giving it the same name as the adjacent tram stop)
• Manchester Central (which is the nearest old closed station, but Deansgate isn't really the very centre of Manchester so it would be something of a misnomer)

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wouldn't bother, it's likely to be closed at some point in the not too distant future anyway, and it's a "local station for local people" with everyone who uses it knowing where it is.

If I was renaming it, I would call it Manchester Deansgate. You could always suffix "for Castlefield" on the signs.

 

[Gareth]

Is Deansgate not useful for interchange with Metrolink?

Rather than close it, is not another option to have everything stop there - ideally after taking the long distance services off the line entirely?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is Deansgate not useful for interchange with Metrolink?

Yes, to be fair.

Rather than close it, is not another option to have everything stop there - ideally after taking the long distance services off the line entirely?

Only if the "S-Bahn-Manchester" answer to Castlefield was taken (including Victoria improvement and expansion), rather than the "15/16 and rebuild Oxford Road" option.

 

[Fokx]

Manchester Knott-Mill?

I’d rather see the station closed however and replaced with a train to tram interchange at Cornbrook, particularly with the addition of the Trafford Centre line and the Pomona housing developments

 

[Kite159]

Rename "Manchester Deansgate" and have everything stop there for connections with Metrolink, considering the train to tram connection at Deansgate is a lot better than it is at Piccadilly and you have more connection options available [IIRC the only tram route which doesn't go via Deansgate is the Piccadilly - Bury services]

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I wouldn't bother, it's likely to be closed at some point in the not too distant future anyway...

Always been located somewhat geographically nearby to Manchester Oxford Road station, but still a worthwhile station in its own right, IMHO. (Similarly City Thameslink and London Blackfriars).

In a normal year, station usage at (Manchester) Deansgate is possibly underestimated as tickets on inbound services which are valid there have probably been issued to "Manchester Stns" or "Manchester CTLZ".

If I was renaming it, I would call it Manchester Deansgate.

Agree with you on that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Agree with you on that.

One thing that's notable is that Oxford Road just says "Oxford Road" on the signs, but everywhere else it's in as "Manchester Oxford Road", e.g. on the PIS. Whereas Deansgate is just Deansgate everywhere.

(I'd similarly rename "University" to "Birmingham University" - I know there isn't another one, but it'd just be easier).

 

[Gareth]

I don't see anything wrong with the current name, really. It's mostly a local/regional services station. Farringdon isn't called London Farringdon, for instance.

 

[HST43257]

Why not Deansgate Interchange or Deansgate-Castlefield? These would reflect the tram stop’s name

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't see anything wrong with the current name, really. It's mostly a local/regional services station. Farringdon isn't called London Farringdon, for instance.

It probably should be. I don't quite subscribe to the German approach of prefixing everything (else we'd get things like "Manchester Stockport") but I do agree with prefixing all stations which serve a city centre, so I'd certainly have "Manchester Deansgate", "London Farringdon", "London City Thameslink", "Liverpool Moorfields" etc.

 

[randyrippley]

It probably should be. I don't quite subscribe to the German approach of prefixing everything (else we'd get things like "Manchester Stockport") but I do agree with prefixing all stations which serve a city centre, so I'd certainly have "Manchester Deansgate", "London Farringdon", "London City Thameslink", "Liverpool Moorfields" etc.

so..........would you rename the Salford stations as "Manchester Salford..............."?

And where would you draw the line in London?
London Waterloo?
London Vauxhall?
London Clapham Junction?
London Wimbledon?

 

[py_megapixel]

It probably should be. I don't quite subscribe to the German approach of prefixing everything (else we'd get things like "Manchester Stockport")

Come to think of it, I can name several amusing examples of following that convention to the letter and not making any other changes:

• "Birmingham University (Birmingham)"
• "London London Bridge"
• "Manchester Newton for Manchester Hyde"
• "Sheffield Dore and Sheffield Totley"
• "Manchester Middlewood" (Middlewood, for those not aware, being a station located quite literally in the middle of a wood, with no road access at all, and couldn't be more different to the centre of the city - but still technically in Greater Manchester!)

(I'm aware that none of these would ever happen, even in Germany, as some rationalisation is clearly required)
If only Burnley was in Greater Manchester rather than several miles into Lancashire, we could have a station called "Manchester Burnley Manchester Road"!

 

[Trackman]

Why not Deansgate Interchange or Deansgate-Castlefield? These would reflect the tram stop’s name

Or at least mention the Metrolink for out-of-towners.

It probably should be. I don't quite subscribe to the German approach of prefixing everything (else we'd get things like "Manchester Stockport") but I do agree with prefixing all stations which serve a city centre, so I'd certainly have "Manchester Deansgate", "London Farringdon", "London City Thameslink", "Liverpool Moorfields" etc.

A couple of replies to this, might be worth splitting the thread before I wade in...

 

[Purple Orange]

I wouldn't bother, it's likely to be closed at some point in the not too distant future anyway, and it's a "local station for local people" with everyone who uses it knowing where it is.

If I was renaming it, I would call it Manchester Deansgate. You could always suffix "for Castlefield" on the signs.

Deansgate should never be closed. It's very useful and it will be more so if long distance services are removed. It should be that if it stops at Oxford Road, it also stops at Deansgate.

No point in changing the name. May as well rename Vauxhall "London Vauxhall"

 

[HST43257]

Deansgate should never be closed. It's very useful and it will be more so if long distance services are removed. It should be that if it stops at Oxford Road, it also stops at Deansgate.

No point in changing the name. May as well rename Vauxhall "London Vauxhall"

Deansgate has the tram. The only way it should stay open (in my view) is if the line is 4 tracked or a 3rd line shuttle is added.

 

[py_megapixel]

Deansgate should never be closed. It's very useful and it will be more so if long distance services are removed. It should be that if it stops at Oxford Road, it also stops at Deansgate.

No point in changing the name. May as well rename Vauxhall "London Vauxhall"

Well yes, that makes a lot of sense, because Vauxhall could be described as an area of central London. So for national rail trains, calling it that makes sense.
Of course, for the Tube, it's a given that you're in London, so no station needs to be prefixed London (except of course London Bridge)

 

[Peter0124]

It probably should be. I don't quite subscribe to the German approach of prefixing everything (else we'd get things like "Manchester Stockport") but I do agree with prefixing all stations which serve a city centre, so I'd certainly have "Manchester Deansgate", "London Farringdon", "London City Thameslink", "Liverpool Moorfields" etc.

Glasgow Charing Cross
Glasgow Argyle Street
Glasgow Anderston
Glasgow High Street

 

[Bletchleyite]

so..........would you rename the Salford stations as "Manchester Salford..............."?

And where would you draw the line in London?
London Waterloo?
London Vauxhall?
London Clapham Junction?
London Wimbledon?

A reasonable way to draw the line in London is "anything in Zone 1".

Salford Central is a slightly awkward one, not sure there. Salford is a bit more distinct from Manchester than say Westminster is from "London". Salford Crescent certainly isn't Manchester city centre.

Glasgow Charing Cross
Glasgow Argyle Street
Glasgow Anderston
Glasgow High Street

Those sound reasonable.

 

[185]

Deansgate could be returned to the original name Knott Mill.

Or for drunks, Knott There Yet.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Deansgate should never be closed. It's very useful and it will be more so if long distance services are removed. It should be that if it stops at Oxford Road, it also stops at Deansgate.

No point in changing the name. May as well rename Vauxhall "London Vauxhall"

It's in zone 1, so that seems sensible to me.

 

[randyrippley]

A reasonable way to draw the line in London is "anything in Zone 1".

Salford Central is a slightly awkward one, not sure there. Salford is a bit more distinct from Manchester than say Westminster is from "London". Salford Crescent certainly isn't Manchester city centre.



Those sound reasonable.

Of course few of the London termini are actually in London............Paddington Westminster anyone? Or Waterloo Southwark?

 

[Purple Orange]

It's in zone 1, so that seems sensible to me.

Yeah but it's not exactly a main station. I suppose the similarity would be the Dublin stations where mist things are Dublin Tara St or Dublin Pierce....

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Hardly anything calls at Deansgate nowadays beyond Blackpools and the odd Oxford Road/Crewe - Liverpool. Even the Alderley Edge/Southport and some of the Liverpool stoppers skip it. I think either improve the service frequency or give up.

 

[Greybeard33]

At least "G-Mex" has now been dropped from the name. The railway persisted with the station name "Deansgate G-Mex" for years after the adjacent G-Mex Centre (originally Manchester Central station) had been renamed back to Manchester Central!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

At least "G-Mex" has now been dropped from the name. The railway persisted with the station name "Deansgate G-Mex" for years after the adjacent G-Mex Centre (originally Manchester Central station) had been renamed back to Manchester Central!

Has the railway station ever officially been known as "Deansgate G-Mex"? Thought it has just been "Deansgate" since the 1970's?

 

[py_megapixel]

At least "G-Mex" has now been dropped from the name. The railway persisted with the station name "Deansgate G-Mex" for years after the adjacent G-Mex Centre (originally Manchester Central station) had been renamed back to Manchester Central!

Has the railway station ever officially been known as "Deansgate G-Mex"? Thought it has just been "Deansgate" since the 1970's?

Dot matrix boards at Oxford Road were (incorrectly) calling it "Deansgate G-Mex" until just a few years ago!

 

[Philip]

I think 'Deansgate-Castlefield' would probably be good name; matches it with the tram stop so that it is essentially one medium sized interchange station. It is accurate too since it pretty much is that station for Castlefield, the busiest part of Deansgate is towards the Victoria end, half a mile away.

Salford Crescent could be renamed Salford University before long.

 

[Purple Orange]

I think 'Deansgate-Castlefield' would probably be good name; matches it with the tram stop so that it is essentially one medium sized interchange station. It is accurate too since it pretty much is that station for Castlefield, the busiest part of Deansgate is towards the Victoria end, half a mile away.

Salford Crescent could be renamed Salford University before long.

Yes Deansgate-Castlefield could work. Door-to-door, Victoria to Deansgate station is 1 mile, but actually Salford Central is just as close to the busiest section (Peter Street to St Mary’s Gate). Victoria is 0.3 miles from the St. Mary’s end, just as is Deansgate from the Peter Street end. Salford Central is also 0.3 miles from the very centre of Deansgate. If not “Deansgate”, it could be called ‘Deansgate West’.

 

[Greybeard33]

Yes Deansgate-Castlefield could work. Door-to-door, Victoria to Deansgate station is 1 mile, but actually Salford Central is just as close to the busiest section (Peter Street to St Mary’s Gate). Victoria is 0.3 miles from the St. Mary’s end, just as is Deansgate from the Peter Street end. Salford Central is also 0.3 miles from the very centre of Deansgate. If not “Deansgate”, it could be called ‘Deansgate West’.

I suspect "Deansgate-Castlefield" has not been used for the mainline station to avoid confusion with the Metrolink station. The two are not much further apart than the mainline and Merseyrail platforms at Liverpool South Parkway, but in that case there is a shared concourse and barrier line.

Most of the shopping and hospitality premises on Deansgate (the road) are nearer to Victoria and Salford Central than to Deansgate (the station), so the current name can be misleading to visitors unfamiliar with Manchester geography.

The facade of the listed station building still sports the original sign "Knott Mill Station" above the modern tacked-on "Deansgate" board. So reversion to that name would avoid unnecessary expenditure!