Best sited stations for town/city centre.

[Metal_gee_man]

Thank Geoff Marshall for this one (shortest train service in the UK video) Wrexham Central

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Thank Geoff Marshall for this one (shortest train service in the UK video) Wrexham Central

Wrexham Central is not actually very...central, certainly not since they cut the line back to build a shopping area (hardly prime retail estate).
Wrexham General is hardly any further out.
We've actually lost some well-placed "Central" stations over the years - Manchester, Blackpool, Nottingham (Victoria), Liverpool (HL), Cheltenham St James.
Also two Glasgow city centre stations - St Enoch and Buchanan St.
Leeds Central wasn't as central as City is.
Not many of the Great Central's stations were any more central than their (usually Midland) rivals.

 

[Parallel]

Wrexham Central is not actually very...central, certainly not since they cut the line back to build a shopping area (hardly prime retail estate).
Wrexham General is hardly any further out.
We've actually lost some well-placed "Central" stations over the years - Manchester, Blackpool, Nottingham (Victoria), Liverpool (HL), Cheltenham St James.
Also two Glasgow city centre stations - St Enoch and Buchanan St.
Leeds Central wasn't as central as City is.
Not many of the Great Central's stations were any more central than their (usually Midland) rivals.

Not to mention Bath Green Park (probably as central as Bath Spa) - Was Bristol St Philips any more central than Temple Meads?

 

[HowardGWR]

Not to mention Bath Green Park (probably as central as Bath Spa) - Was Bristol St Philips any more central than Temple Meads?

No. In one way it had been, as it was nearer to Old Market (entertainment) and Castle St (shops), but the Luftwaffe destroyed the Castle area, and after the war, it was left derelict and the new shops were built at Broadweir / Broadmead.

Disregarding shopping, many people regard The Centre as the centre of Bristol ( ). If the adjacent Canons Marsh goods depot had been redeveloped as a central commuter station................

 

[underbank]

Lancaster aint bad.

Sorry, I'd disagree about Lancaster. It's quite a walk to the bus station, hospital, most schools and the main shopping centre (St Nics), not to mention the business parks. Not really close to anything other than the castle and football ground.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Preston is right next door to Fishergate.

 

[morrisobrien]

Surely most of the South Wales mainline stations are in with a shout.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Barking
Ilford
Stratford (London: on- Avon really not so much)
Basildon
Stevenage
Maidenhead
Slough
Feltham
West Hampstead
Harrow on the Hill (more for the modern town centre than the old hilltop village/school)
Woolwich Arsenal
Blackheath
Bromley South (and North)

Maidenhead's a reasonable walk to the main shopping centre (Nicholson) and shopping area.

 

[Taunton]

Slough has had its direct route by subway into the central shopping area and the High Street cut off, and now takes double or more the walking time to get there, needing to cross the busiest road in the town on the level, and getting wetter when raining.

Tower Gateway, likewise, on the DLR had the direct subway from Tower Hill Underground cut off and filled in with concrete, just to make sure nobody comes along later to reinstate it, and again now requires crossing a busy street on the level, which the station initially had been sited to avoid.

Situation relative to the town centre may not be all there is to it. Watford Junction had become a railhad for a large swathe of the Home Counties, from Herts and Bucks, right round to Heathrow Airport, but progressively increasing traffic congestion, aided of course by anti-car traffic management, slowly robbed it of reliability in getting there for a specific train. It used to be a popular place for the coach to Heathrow but that business was squeezed away as well, both the train service and the regular coach being cut back. Virgin noticed this and have cut back the stops further, so the loss of traffic became self-perpetuating.

 

[HowardGWR]

I know it was mentioned in passing earlier, but Exeter Central (was Queen St) is not only conveniently situated for everything, except hospitals*, but enjoys a spread out commuter /shopper service in many directions. That is why an Okehampton to Exmouth or Axminster (thus negating the need to reverse at Central and providing useful extra destinations) would be very successful indeed. If I lived in Okehampton (or indeed further west) or North Tawton, using the train to go shopping in Exeter would be a no-brainer.

*but County Hall, Hospitals, etc, are easily accessed by very frequent buses and you save a parking fee.

 

[Requeststop]

St Austell, Penzance, Camborne, and St Ives are all close to the town centre and nearby for shopping or a drink. Much further afield, I seem to recall, Wymess Bay, West Kirby, Norwich, Melton Mowbray are all within a couple of hundred yards of the local station.

I'd say Penzance, Redruth, Newquay, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Honiton and Axminster are pretty good.

 

[duffield]

...
Interestingly all 3 East Midlands Cities stations- Derby, Leicester & Nottingham are NOT convenient for their City centres. Nor are Chesterfield, Loughborough, Beeston, Burton on Trent, Long Eaton, Ilkeston, Alfreton, Hucknall, Newark Castle, Newark Northgate, Retford, Worksop, Grantham, Gainsborough Lea Road, Melton Mowbray, Market Harborough, Hinckley, Stamford......

I'd disagree with some of these. 2 mins walk from Leicester station brings you to the edge of the main shopping area, another 5 mins and you're in the middle. It seems worse because of the main road you have to cross outside the station. Similar with Nottingham - 3 mins walk to one of the two main shopping centres, another 5 mins to Market Square (the centre of the city by most reckoning), and Nottingham should improve soon with the main roads you need to cross being downgraded to largely remove through traffic.
Also Newark Castle I would say 3 mins over the river and you're pretty much in the centre.

 

[Mitch in Notts]

I'd disagree with some of these. 2 mins walk from Leicester station brings you to the edge of the main shopping area, another 5 mins and you're in the middle. It seems worse because of the main road you have to cross outside the station. Similar with Nottingham - 3 mins walk to one of the two main shopping centres, another 5 mins to Market Square (the centre of the city by most reckoning), and Nottingham should improve soon with the main roads you need to cross being downgraded to largely remove through traffic.
Also Newark Castle I would say 3 mins over the river and you're pretty much in the centre.

Yes I will give you Leicester isn't too bad. Nottingham only has one shopping centre now - on the opposite side of town. The old Broadmarsh shopping centre currently has about 6 open stores and is a joke. And it's uphill to the square from the station. Newark Castle not too bad but again like Leicester involves crossing busy roads to access the centre.

 

[Dr Hoo]

In Leicester Granby Street (connecting the station with the City Centre) seems very shabby these days. Google Maps suggests 11 minutes walking time to the Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower that many people would regard as the centre of Leicester. Unlike some city centres there is no real scope to use arcades, etc. for shelter in adverse weather. The main shopping area has now moved into the High Cross even further from the station.
From recent experience, meeting family at the “Leicester shops” in the run-up to Christmas, you need to be prepared for a miserable 15-minutes traipse.

 

[PHILIPE]

Largs

 

[eljajo95]

Can I venture London Fenchurch Street? Not much shopping to be had in the City, but FST is very handy for those who work there (lawyers, bankers etc.).

 

[Nicks]

Seaford is by the sea and shops. Lewes has been mentioned but it is a steepish climb to reach the high street.

Also its quite a walk from Norwich to reach the marketplace.

 

[Poolie]

Hartlepool is ok with the shopping centre (sic) within view and less than 5 minutes walk. Likewise the football ground and the inevitable Wetherspoons a minutes walk away which on a Saturday is full of groups in 'party' mode catching a Grand Central to York. Worst and most laughable thing is the Transport Interchange which was built for the Tall Ships in 2010 and has since gathered dust. Wot a waste.

 

[greaterwest]

Aldershot is pretty much on the town centre's doorstep.
Guildford is easily a 5 minute walk
Portsmouth Harbour if you (exclusively) want Gunwharf Quays otherwise Portsmouth & Southsea for the main shopping area and the Cascades.
Havant has the Meridian Centre, 5 minute walk away.
Basingstoke for The Malls; across the road.
I believe Wimbledon, Surbiton and Kingston have been mentioned already, another shout out to those.
Camberley has a shopping centre across the road.

On the other hand,
Farnborough and Fleet are at least a 10 minute walk from anything of real interest, Farnborough North even more so.
Weybridge has nothing of interest at all nearby except perhaps the college.
Haslemere has either the main high street, or the parade of shops on Wey Hill, which are both at least 10 minute walk away from the station.

 

[Meerkat]

Guildford shops from the station is an easy walk, but a pretty horrible one - very busy, very narrow, pavements alongside a busy one way system.
Gunwharf from Portsmouth Harbour is really annoying - a very long way round to get to somewhere that is just yards from your train.

 

[Shalford]

Guildford - as correctly identified, has a horrible walk down one of the most polluted, and accident prone, one way systems in the country. Guildford Station is a example of how not to do Station planning. Network Rail, Surrey Council and Guildford Borough Council have failed to work effectively together to plan the station as a proper transport hub - e.g. Heathrow Southern access coming. Network Rail are redeveloping the town side of the station (Solum Scheme) in a manner that does little to solve access issues including promoting better links between station and town centre. The new Footbridge proposed across the Wey lands pedestrians in a sea of car parks.
So you can have a station near the town centre but if access by foot is ghastly what is the point - time to access AND quality of access are key.

Off topic - Network Rail have now dropped Platform 0 at Guildford on the east side - effectively limiting new line services to current frequency for foreseeable future?

 

[theageofthetra]

Bromley North/South are very well situated

 

[theageofthetra]

Guildford shops from the station is an easy walk, but a pretty horrible one - very busy, very narrow, pavements alongside a busy one way system.
Gunwharf from Portsmouth Harbour is really annoying - a very long way round to get to somewhere that is just yards from your train.

Not much better for the cricket ground either.

 

[FtoE]

All the stations near me seem to be decently located as the crow flies, but have a kind of terrible path to their town centres:

• Alexandria is only 5 minutes walk away from the main street, but the single platform station is on the opposite side from the centre and stuck in the middle of a traffic gyratory with no way of crossing except traffic lights
• Dumbarton Central is again only 5 minutes walk away, but you have to cross a dual carriageway either by traffic lights or a dark underpass, and the underpass route leads you into the back end of the "shopping centre" (a single pedestrianised street)

Dumbarton sounds like Fort William - cross or go under a busy dual-carriageway (although you’re adjacent to the bus station and handy for a supermarket and the Golden Arches...)
Perth, while certainly not remote, isn’t really in the thick of things like Inverness, say, is.
Most dramatic entry is from Waverley I’d say. Virtually subterranean station then up the main escalators and turn left.....

 

[MarkyT]

I like that the thread title refers to 'best sited' rather than 'closest'. Something I've noticed from experience living, working and visiting many different towns and cities in UK and elsewhere is that distance alone is rarely the most important factor in perceived convenience. I find distance becomes far less important an issue (within reason) when I become familiar with a particular locality. That's partly simply because I know my way from a station to a regular workplace for example and, being a regular, will also soon pick up on shortcuts and other time-saving measures, such as which combinations of road crossings to use, that a casual visitor may not immediately notice. Perhaps familiarity means I don't have to concentrate on where I'm going, and not getting lost, so can allow my mind to wander onto other more interesting things, including just observing the passing street-scape with no stress. Where I'm not familiar with an area, the uncertainly seems to increase the schlep perception. There are techniques which planners can use to allow visitors to all become immediately more familiar with a station's surroundings. The most obvious tool in the inventory is good signage, but this can be combined with features and quality of the built environment and in particular its pedestrian pathways that naturally lead one's gaze and progress in the direction of popular activity centres, and in the reverse direction, from those areas back to the station. Space syntax analysis techniques can be used to quantify the existing quality of a location in respect of this natural wayfinding behaviour and any improvements proposed. Non of this is new of course, it's always been second nature to architects trying to create pleasing or imposing vistas. For example, Railway companies often placed prominent features of a major station building in the 'viewshed' of a notional customer looking from (say) a market square or prominent road junction on the 'High Street' along a straight approach road.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_syntax

 

[Mikey C]

I'd second that. The right side of the town for the football ground too!

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Space syntax analysis techniques can be used to quantify the existing quality of a location

Yes, I often think that.

 

[LancasterRed]

Sorry, I'd disagree about Lancaster. It's quite a walk to the bus station, hospital, most schools and the main shopping centre (St Nics), not to mention the business parks. Not really close to anything other than the castle and football ground.

I concur. Lancaster requires a decent walk to get to the city, which is on an incline which can pose its own problems in icy weather. Around the start and end of term times at the two universities in Lancaster it is particularly bad, as there is no (practical) direct bus route from the railway station to the city, as the 4 can take up to half an hour to get to the bus station depending on the traffic, and the shuttles have limited space.

Getting to the business parks and the accommodation around there poses even more frustration, it is not well placed at all.

 

[Lucan]

Bath Spa

I'd dispute Bath Spa. It is on the edge of the centre, about 500 yards from the Abbey and Roman baths, further still to the principal shopping streets, and even further to the Royal Crescent and Circus. I always found that walk, often done, along Manvers and Pierrepont Streets between the station and the centre rather tedious.

 

[Lucan]

Wimbledon - the centre of the High Street is on a bridge over the station (with no break in the shops other than the station entrance itself).

Piccadilly Circus.