Multiple Station Towns/Cities where a new suffix could be added

[camflyer]

Cambridge - Home of Anglia Ruskin University

Always amuses me to see that sign when arriving in Cambridge. Must confuse some visitors.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's fairly obvious which other world-famous University is there, though, and it isn't one that needs to pay for advertising on railway station signage

 

[ainsworth74]

Would the term "Junction" help passengers if added at say Darlington? (There's a another station in Darlington called North Road)

If the main station in Darlington requires a suffix then the correct one is Bank Top. There can be no alternative!

 

[adrock1976]

If the main station in Darlington requires a suffix then the correct one is Bank Top. There can be no alternative!

Even the British Transport Police offices at Darlington has the blue plaque on the wall stating the address as Bank Top Station, Darlington, plus the postcode.

 

[The Planner]

Is Anglia Ruskin a proper university or was that a polytechnic?

I dont think anyone cares these days unless you are looking at certain types of jobs. What makes a "proper" uni anyway?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Okay I'm convinced, the main station in every town should be called Hauptbanhof from now on, also Foster Square in Bradford as it's in the Little Germany area of the city.

Would the term "Junction" help passengers if added at say Darlington? (There's a another station in Darlington called North Road)

The area known as Little Germany is closer to Interchange than Forster Square. In any case, it's tough to choose which would get the "Main station" suffix if GB had one, with both having services to the capital. Perhaps if the Crayonistas had their way and the cross-city link was built...

 

[adrock1976]

I dont think anyone cares these days unless you are looking at certain types of jobs. What makes a "proper" uni anyway?

What I was referring to was that "proper" unis awarded their own degrees, whereas the polytechnics did not. I don't know if the former polytechnics that became unis now have the power to award their own degrees or not.

 

[Bletchleyite]

What I was referring to was that "proper" unis awarded their own degrees, whereas the polytechnics did not. I don't know if the former polytechnics that became unis now have the power to award their own degrees or not.

Yes, they do.

 

[owidoe]

Bristol Temple Meads should be renamed ‘Bristol Walkway’ as it’s a decent walk from the actual centre of the city.

And from buses! It's a good quarter of a mile, and across a busy road, to get to a stop serviced by anything other than the Airport Flyer. No wonder it has the busiest taxi rank I've ever seen at a station.

 

[Nick Ashwell]

Pembroke could have Town added to distinguish it from Pembroke Dock.

That doesn't make sense as Pembroke Dock is also a town in its own right, they're two separate places

 

[Bletchleyite]

That doesn't make sense as Pembroke Dock is also a town in its own right, they're two separate places

Not a reason not to do it. The reason not to do it is to avoid confusion.

Lymington Pier isn't really in the town, there's a kilometre of nothingness between the two, but Town is suffixed.

 

[Dai Corner]

And from buses! It's a good quarter of a mile, and across a busy road, to get to a stop serviced by anything other than the Airport Flyer. No wonder it has the busiest taxi rank I've ever seen at a station.

Doesn't the 8 to Cabot Circus, Broadmead, the Centre and Clifton stop at the top of the incline any more?

 

[camflyer]

What I was referring to was that "proper" unis awarded their own degrees, whereas the polytechnics did not. I don't know if the former polytechnics that became unis now have the power to award their own degrees or not.

I doubt anyone under 30 knows what a polytechnic was since they ceased to exist in the 90s.

 

[bramling]

Ah yes but Welwyn Garden City is its designated name, as in nearby Letchworth

Letchworth is a case of a few people campaigning to get the full name reinstated. Nobody locally says anything other than “Letchworth”.

Welwyn is more complex due to the presence of Welwyn village, and the fact this is completely separate from Welwyn GC. Locals will say “Welwyn Garden” and “Welwyn village” to differentiate the two, if they do so at all. Hence why Welwyn Garden City has tended to stick, but Letchworth Garden City hasn’t really.

To muddy the waters further, at one point “Stevenage New Town” was very common, and when used by people from a certain generation is quite often intended in a derogatory capacity. This is heard less nowadays as time has passed.

 

[fishwomp]

Hayes for Horses
St Bees for Mutton
Seaforth Highlanders
Deal for No Deal
Earley for a Drink

(with apologies to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney_Alphabet )

 

[JKF]

Doesn't the 8 to Cabot Circus, Broadmead, the Centre and Clifton stop at the top of the incline any more?

It does, but in the evening it seems timed to leave a couple of minutes before whenever a London train gets in. When the Mrs is working in London she nearly always had to get an Uber. Not like it’s the same effing company as the trains or anything.

 

[camflyer]

It does, but in the evening it seems timed to leave a couple of minutes before whenever a London train gets in. When the Mrs is working in London she nearly always had to get an Uber. Not like it’s the same effing company as the trains or anything.

I was a student in Bristol and regularly had to walk from BTM to Redland after missing the last bus - and being too skint to pay for a taxi.

 

[Thebaz]

we really need a word in English that means the same as Hauptbanhof.

Well since English is so adept at pinching words from other languages we might as well just use Hauptbanhof.

 

[spyinthesky]

Cambridge Station Road
Cambridge Not Very Central
Cambridge Long Walk

Cambridge Nearly

 

[BeijingDave]

How about calling it Cambridge City?

Generally I'm not in favour of naming stations things like this, or 'Colchester Town'. Seems too vague, location-wise, to me (although I could see the rationale for Cambridge City), and somewhat redundant. Everyone knows Cambridge is a city.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

I suggest 'Audley End' be renamed 'Walden Parkway' given how it serves the town of Saffron Walden (used to live there for 7 years so it was my local station when I started getting into trains) and doesn't really have much to do with Audley End House & Gardens, the village its next to isn't even called Audley End (it's name is Wendens Ambo and the station was initially called 'Wenden' for a few years before it got renamed to what we have now); even though since 2012 (ironically the year I moved away) it has 'Audley End for Saffron Walden' on its signage (in a similar way to 'Ashchurch for Tewksbury' but more of a mouthful), I think 'Walden Parkway' would make a lot more sense, given it's a parkway station on Saffron Walden's periphery and has barely anything to do with Audley End in reality anyway.

Also, 'Mills Hill' in Greater Manchester should be renamed 'Chadderton & Middleton' given its equidistance between the two places, neither of which have their own stations but have this one in their proximity, and it would clear confusion between a similarly named 'Mill Hill' in Blackburn. What's more, the 59 bus route runs directly between Chadderton and Middleton and serves this very station in between, so it's a great connection opportunity.

There are a few stations scattered quite far apart across the country with 'Preston' in their name (Prestonpans near Edinburgh and Preston Park in Brighton) as well as 'Preston' itself referring to the city in Lancashire, so I think it would be helpful if it (the name of the city as well as the station) gained a suffix based on its river like we have 'Newcastle-upon-Tyne', so in this case 'Preston-on-Ribble'.

Sheffield should bring back 'Sheffield Midland' or call itself 'Sheffield City' so Meadowhall can gain the 'Sheffield' prefix.

I agree that the Cambridge "problem" is only going to get worse when South is constructed and that keeping the main station without any suffix in perpetuity likely won't work. But given the geography of Cambridge, adding "Central" would give rise to laughter rather than clarification, since (for the usual historical reasons) its location is anything other than "central". I take the point that its position between the North and South stations renders it, de facto, Central. But I doubt that's how any residents or visitors view it!

Didn't know there were plans for a 'Cambridge South' to be a thing? Nice to see a little metro system forming there I quite like the ideas of 'Cambridge General' or 'Cambridge City' to be fair, but we could be fancy and call it 'Cambridge Victoria' or 'Cambridge Piccadilly' cos why not?

Colchester would be another. It's sometimes referred to as Colchester North to distinguish it from Colchester Town, formerly St. Botolph's.

Or Colchester Junction?

The term city has meaning outside of the current government inconsistent terminology.
There's a Welwyn North and a Welwyn Garden City station, no issues with that town using a city title.
Reading should call itself a city, it would add to the case for getting it officially.

Would be great but the Queen would be pissed

That doesn't make sense as Pembroke Dock is also a town in its own right, they're two separate places

Quite similar to how Llandudno Junction is its own town compared to Llandudno itself, but the latter could become 'Llandudno Town' or 'Llandudno Central' given that the towns are pretty much joined together like a mini-conurbation anyway.

 

[BeijingDave]

Suffixes like Central or High Street are preferable to City or Town, in my opinion, as it's clearer as I pointed out above.

Deganwy (a village in its own right) sits between Llandudno and Llandudno Junction.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are a few stations scattered quite far apart across the country with 'Preston' in their name (Prestonpans near Edinburgh and Preston Park in Brighton) as well as 'Preston' itself referring to the city in Lancashire, so I think it would be helpful if it (the name of the city as well as the station) gained a suffix based on its river like we have 'Newcastle-upon-Tyne', so in this case 'Preston-on-Ribble'.

I don't think the railway is going to be renaming whole cities any time soon.

What we could do is follow the German practice and display local suffixes on nameboards etc, so instead of only referring to it as Preston Lancs on tickets, use that name on all publicity including nameboards.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A bit of a long shot (and not a multiple-station place), but with the former K-Line/Yorkshire Tiger bus depot/dumping ground (delete as appropriate) at Honley being taken over by a much smaller operation, there's potential for a bus turning circle to be built for a shuttle bus to Holmfirth. Honley Station could then gain a "for Holmfirth" suffix.

 

[Nunners]

Cambridge Nearly

Cambridge (ish)

 

[Ayman Ilham]

If there are no plans to use Stratford International for any international train services, like as an interchange for a HS1-HS2 link (which has probably been scrapped idk) to put the Regional Eurostar plans back in the game, then they might as well rename it 'Stratford High Speed' as it's never ONCE been served by Eurostar trains. Stratford (normal) should be called 'Stratford Interchange'

Cambridge (ish)

I was suggesting maybe 'Cambridge Victoria' or 'Cambridge Piccadilly' but in what instances are those suffixes used?

 

[BeijingDave]

Piccadilly is actually a specific location in London and Manchester that is named after the lace trade in that particular area/street. It doesn't necessarily mean 'city centre'. There is no street named 'Piccadilly' in Cambridge.

Victorias were named after the monarch at the time. So now it would make more sense to use 'Cambridge Elizabeth' if you were going down that road.

Cambridge Central would make the most sense. The hotel next to it is already called 'IBIS Cambridge Central Station Hotel'. For those who object on the grounds that it's "not central enough to be a Central" then name it after a major road or feature near the station.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Cambridge Central would make the most sense. The hotel next to it is already called 'IBIS Cambridge Central Station Hotel'. For those who object on the grounds that it's "not central enough to be a Central" then name it after a major road or feature near the station.

Of course the most convenient roadway that leads into Cambridge station is currently monikered 'Station Road/Station Place" so that possibly doesn't help too much!

 

[D6130]

Of course the most convenient roadway that leads into Cambridge station is currently monikered 'Station Road/Station Place" so that possibly doesn't help too much!

Cambridge Station Road....has a certain ring to it - a bit like Dewsbury Railway Street of byegone memory!

 

[BeijingDave]

Of course the most convenient roadway that leads into Cambridge station is currently monikered 'Station Road/Station Place" so that possibly doesn't help too much!

Yeah, I noticed that. In terms of nearby major landmarks, 'Botanic Gardens' would be a nice name for a station, and of course brings to mind Hull's old station.