Cambridge North: Cambridge's new station

[amateur]

Happy with both - especially the second idea!

And what's wrong with shelford? Do you work at addenbrooks?

 

[D365]

Of course they have. there will be calls on the Lynns, Norwich as well as an extension of a WA plus GN stopper each hour. XC are talking too. To be honest I don't think anything in Cambridge could ever become a white elephant.

There are clauses in the contracts for the new franchises. Of course they've agreed, willingly or otherwise

This Busway thing will always be the elephant in my room...

 

[Skimpot flyer]

A few years ago it was suggested that Cambridge airport be called Olivia Newton-John airport although she left the place when she was 5.

The station most deserving of being renamed 'Olivia Newton-John' would have to be Sandy, surely?

(Tell me more, tell me more...!)

 

[Johnuk123]

The station most deserving of being renamed 'Olivia Newton-John' would have to be Sandy, surely?

(Tell me more, tell me more...!)

Excellent.

 

[glbotu]

This Busway thing will always be the elephant in my room...

You couldn't really call it a white elephant, mostly because it has been obscenely successful. Unfortunately, it's now woefully overcrowded and has little scope for increased capacity, because any extra buses just go onto Cambridge streets. In that sense, it's lack of foresight/forethought, but the term "white elephant" would be inappropriate.

Cambridge North/Chesterton Railway Station absolutely won't be a white elephant. The science and business parks attract unbelievable amounts of traffic (the A14 is often backed up 2 junctions in each direction with just people going into the science park). Anything that can get people off the roads there will be great.

You'd have to 4 track Shepreth Branch Jn - Cambridge in order to put any sort of Addenbrookes station.

 

[Johnuk123]

This Busway thing will always be the elephant in my room...

I use it all the time, it's brilliant.

 

[Bald Rick]

The station most deserving of being renamed 'Olivia Newton-John' would have to be Sandy, surely?

(Tell me more, tell me more...!)

Very, very well done.

 

[AE]

You couldn't really call it a white elephant, mostly because it has been obscenely successful. Unfortunately, it's now woefully overcrowded and has little scope for increased capacity, because any extra buses just go onto Cambridge streets. In that sense, it's lack of foresight/forethought, but the term "white elephant" would be inappropriate.

I personally wouldn't call it 'obscenely successful'. It's busy enough during the rush hours alright, but at other times the buses are pretty empty.

Mind you, they have spent over £150 million on single bus route so I would hope it was more successful than the previous buses.

And there wasn't a lack of foresight/forethought regarding the central section through the streets, the planners were told time and time again that it would cause problems but the warnings were ignored.

The guided bus route is being extended to Cambridge North station at the moment at considerable cost. Meanwhile, villages literally just outside of Cambridge have no service after 18:00 weekdays or on Sundays and the frequencies of the city buses have been reduced.

 

[edwin_m]

Agreed that 'Stephen Hawking' makes no sense whatsoever.

I tried to read that book of his, and he made no sense whatever to me either. If the station was named after him they could probably blame a late train on eddies in the space-time continuum (who's Eddie?).

How about "Cambridge Village"? (see also Bicester).

 

[D365]

I personally wouldn't call it 'obscenely successful'. It's busy enough during the rush hours alright, but at other times the buses are pretty empty.

Mind you, they have spent over £150 million on single bus route so I would hope it was more successful than the previous buses.

And there wasn't a lack of foresight/forethought regarding the central section through the streets, the planners were told time and time again that it would cause problems but the warnings were ignored.

The guided bus route is being extended to Cambridge North station at the moment at considerable cost. Meanwhile, villages literally just outside of Cambridge have no service after 18:00 weekdays or on Sundays and the frequencies of the city buses have been reduced.

Out of the various replies that have been written, I must say I agree with you most. In the end it's worth the service (along the core route at least), but at a tremendous (and still to be resolved) cost, the long-term future of the infrastructure also having being cast into doubt.

Cambridge North/Chesterton Railway Station absolutely won't be a white elephant. The science and business parks attract unbelievable amounts of traffic (the A14 is often backed up 2 junctions in each direction with just people going into the science park). Anything that can get people off the roads there will be great.

Doesn't help with the roadworks that are going on all around; indeed I know the traffic well, this is the area where several of my friends and I have just learned our driving

 

[infobleep]

Surely it's better to have a station name that makes some sort of geographical sense? Leave the names of local worthies for airports!

I work in Street Naming and Numbering for a Local council and we prefer not to nam buildings after living people in case in the future something controversial happens.

There was a building in South London named Jimmy Savile House or it may have been just Savile House. After he died and the details started to emerge of his life it got vandalised. Needless to say the name was changed.

That sums up why it best to wait until people have died for sometime before naming something after them.

Saying that, there is no laws governing this so if councilors want to name a building or road after a living person they have the power to do so.

 

[Class 170101]

Of course they have. there will be calls on the Lynns, Norwich as well as an extension of a WA plus GN stopper each hour. XC are talking too. To be honest I don't think anything in Cambridge could ever become a white elephant.

Have they got station access rights yet?

I have heard the proposed layout may be causing issues too.

 

[yorksrob]

I work in Street Naming and Numbering for a Local council and we prefer not to be buildings Feb living people in case in the future something controversial happens.

There was a building in South London named Jimmy Savile House or it may have been just Savile House. After he died and the details started to emerge of his life it got vandalised. Needless to say the name was changed.

That sums up why it best to wait until people have died for sometime before naming something after them.

Saying that, there is no laws governing this so if councilors want to name a building or road after a loving person they have the power to do so.

We have quite a few buildings and roads named Saville in Yorkshire, but fortunately they tend to be named after the Saville dynasty which was quite powerful around here in Medieval times rather than the disgraced disk jockey.

 

[317 forever]

Renaming Finsbury Park as Abu Hamza Junction could make for a nice little hook.

Or Finsbury Park could be renamed Christmas Halt!

Cambridge Science Park always seemed to me to be the best name, as people from all over the world come and go to the Science Park. Let's make the names of the station as easy as possible.

I had got used to it as being due to be named Cambridge Science Park. Is it still due to open in December? And has the refurbishment and rebuild of Cambridge station itself been completed yet?

I wonder whether the Busway will still be rerouted via this new station?

The station most deserving of being renamed 'Olivia Newton-John' would have to be Sandy, surely?

(Tell me more, tell me more...!)

Such a rename would probably occur during the summer nights!

 

[jopsuk]

"Cambridge North" is now not due to open till 2016, but will have the Busway services routed via it- much of the mess on Milton Road at the moment is associated with the work required to achieve this. As for Cambridge station, it is currently in the middle of the hge works to the station area- the station itself isn't being touched yet, the larger booking hall promised is yet to come

 

[yorkie]

Just a reminder this thread is about Cambridge North station, which is not to be confused with Cambridge station.

Sorry to sound 'heavy handed' but if you wish to discuss another topic, or you spot someone else go off topic and wish to reply, please click the 'New thread' button in the appropriate forum and start a new thread. Many thanks for jopsuk for doing this, but if it was done by someone else earlier we could have avoided this thread going off-topic!

I have deleted some recent off topic posts (but I am not going back any further than that).

If you wish to discuss Cambridge station please use the thread Cambridge station progress thread

Many thanks.

 

[Ianno87]

Hope nobody minds me bumping this thread!

Passed the site of Cambridge North station this evening, with rail systems works in full swing. Most obvious change is that the old Single Track Cantilever OHLE masts in the station area have now been replaced with huge portal structures, which will presumably span both platform islands, the main lines and the bay platform road.

 

[Starmill]

Calling it Cambridge Chesterton, or Cambridge North might faciitate the creation of a 'Cambridge Stations' group, if anyone thinks that's a good idea.

 

[WestCountry]

Tangentially related - the council have (finally) published detailed plans for the north-south cycle route between the two stations. Large portions of this are to be built on NR land - mostly road access tracks, plus the remains of Barnwell sidings (which themselves are the stub of the Fordham branch).

The emphasis put on discouraging people from using the Fen Road level crossing is interesting:

...as far as possible to be convenient for local people but inconvenient for the station....this detail could be omitted until such a time when the level crossing is permanently closed.

Link to PDF (4MB)

 

[jopsuk]

the crossing can't be shut, unfortunately, until a road bridge is built to the north of the station. Much as many Chesterton residents would happily cut off the Fen Road residents.

 

[TheNewNo2]

I welcome the opening of a new station, as it should be (marginally) closer to my girlfriend's house. North seems like a sensible, if pedestrian, name.

 

[oldman]

I would call it North Cambridge rather than Cambridge North. Then Cambridge can stay the same (saves on new signage) and the many tourists know where to get off.

 

[jopsuk]

Most of the tourists come on trains from London or Stansted, not via Ely. I doubt it'll cause much confusion.

Now, if the proposed station at Addenbrookes is then "Cambridge South" that might be different

 

[transmanche]

I would call it North Cambridge rather than Cambridge North.

In my head 'North X' means it's a separate settlement, whereas 'X North' is just the most northerly station of a settlement.

For example; West Malling and East Malling stations are located in separate villages. But Maidstone West and Maidstone East are both located in the same settlement of Maidstone.

Obviously this isn't a hard and fast rule, but seems to work in most cases.

 

[MarkyT]

In my head 'North X' means it's a separate settlement, whereas 'X North' is just the most northerly station of a settlement.

For example; West Malling and East Malling stations are located in separate villages. But Maidstone West and Maidstone East are both located in the same settlement of Maidstone.

Obviously this isn't a hard and fast rule, but seems to work in most cases.

Also if the stations are listed alphanumerically it's useful if stations in the same town appear close together in a list.

Cambridge itself doesn't need renaming just because there's also a Cambridge North. Cambridge is still the default, i.e 'main' or 'central' station. You'll only choose north if you know that's more appropriate to your particular origin or destination.

 

[FenMan]

It would be a misnomer to rename Cambridge as Cambridge Central.

 

[edwin_m]

It would be a misnomer to rename Cambridge as Cambridge Central.

Should be "Northern Edge of Cambridge" and "Eastern Edge of Cambridge".

 

[jopsuk]

There's plenty of Cambridge to the east of the station...

 

[HowardGWR]

It would be a misnomer to rename Cambridge as Cambridge Central.

How about Cambridge Main? A sort of hauptbahnhof concept.

 

[Tobbes]

Cambridge General?

Seriously, Cambridge North or Chesterton would be fine, but I'd still prefer Cambridge Science Park.