Do Railway Lines Need Names?

[Metrolink]

An article from the BBC about naming the Transpennine route after Alan Turing:

York MP calls for rail route be named after Alan Turing - BBC News

Luke Charters says the route will honour Mr Turing's legacy and his work on computing in Manchester.

www.bbc.co.uk

An MP has called for a new train line upgrade to be named after mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing.
Luke Charters, who represents York Outer, asked the Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, whether the new TransPennine York to Manchester line should be renamed as the Turing Line.
Last year, the government announced a £400m funding package for an upgrade to the main line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York, to cut journey times to a little as 63 minutes.
Mr Charters said renaming the route would honour Mr Turing's legacy due to his work on computing at the University of Manchester.
He said: "I'm thrilled to receive support from the Leader of the House on this campaign. Both our constituencies in York Outer and Manchester Central are not only tied together by a strong northern identity, but vital rail infrastructure making it easier for our constituents to travel between our two great cities.

"Alan Turing is one of the most influential people in the history of this country. It would be a fantastic moment for this new rail line to become a tribute to his work - and the historic legacy he has left our great nation – not least following the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

This begs the question - do railway lines need names (other than those purely practical/geographical)? Where do you draw the line with naming lines? LU/LO or otherwise? Or do you think this has more political sense than practical?

 

[Uncle Buck]

No, they do not. Apart from the London Ubderground- where names were historically given to identify where the line went*- a numbering system would be better.

Typical of modern politicians to be engaged in stunts like this rather than anything constructive.

(*- Boris Johnson had Crossrail named after Queen Elizabeth because apparently there is a tube line named after Queen Victoria. Shockingly, Johnson was talking nonsense. The Victoria Line is named after Victoria station, which was itself named after Victoria Street).

 

[KNN]

No, they do not. Apart from the London Ubderground- where names were historically given to identify where the line went*- a numbering system would be better.

Typical of modern politicians to be engaged in stunts like this rather than anything constructive.

(*- Boris Johnson had Crossrail named after Queen Elizabeth because apparently there is a tube line named after Queen Victoria. Shockingly, Johnson was talking nonsense. The Victoria Line is named after Victoria station, which was itself named after Victoria Street).

And who was Victoria Street named after?

 

[ThirteenArches]

Turing's already got a shroud named after him, and a kind of bike, so he can't complain. The LO line naming seems to have been intended mainly to raise the blood pressure of idiots, which can't be a bad thing. I assume the Northern Line was so named because it went further south than any of the others, lucus e non lucendo. Most lines that got names in pre- adland days did so unofficially, by local usage. Pig and Whistle (Garstang & Knott End) and Bulliver (Ashburton branch) spring to mind. Local usage for many lines would be unpublishable.

 

[The exile]

Any kind of naming / numbering only makes sense with a completely standardised service (as per most urban metro services - note “services” not “lines”) If that exists there’s a good deal to be said for route/service numbers (not names, although I accept that the London Underground ones are so ingrained even adding a number is unlikely to make any difference). If you don’t have that standardisation - then individual train numbers are the way to go. I never understand what this country has against them.

 

[zwk500]

An article from the BBC about naming the Transpennine route after Alan Turing:


This begs the question - do railway lines need names (other than those purely practical/geographical)? Where do you draw the line with naming lines? LU/LO or otherwise? Or do you think this has more political sense than practical?

Need? No. But names can help. Both for internal uses as it's easier to describe in conversation and for external uses as it's easier for passengers to remember a name, and it can provide a potential marketing point. However, it needs to be the right name.

 

[Uncle Buck]

And who was Victoria Street named after?

Queen Victoria…but that doesn’t mean the line was named after her, the line was named after the station.

The LO line naming seems to have been intended mainly to raise the blood pressure of idiots, which can't be a bad thing.

I was as annoyed when a Tory mayor insisted on naming a line after the Queen (and proposed naming the next one after Churchill) as I was when a Labour mayor insisted on naming lines after progressive causes. Both are cringeworthy, sentimental stunts.

I assume the Northern Line was so named because it went further south than any of the others, lucus e non lucendo.

It also covers more of what I would call “North London” than any other line…but it wouldn’t have this silly name if it was “Line 5” like any other city in the world.

 

[NorthOxonian]

An article from the BBC about naming the Transpennine route after Alan Turing:


This begs the question - do railway lines need names (other than those purely practical/geographical)? Where do you draw the line with naming lines? LU/LO or otherwise? Or do you think this has more political sense than practical?

I think naming can work in certain circumstances - particularly where lines are more self contained and where services can benefit from more marketing for leisure traffic. While both names are geographical, for instance, I think the West Highland Line and Settle & Carlisle show that line names can work well if they "stick".

But I don't really see how (or why) you would name the Transpennine line in the same way. Most stations on the route serve various lines, the trains on it are almost all either through trains and/or only cover some of the line, and it's much more integrated into the broader network of northern England without as separate of an identity.

Besides, if any line was due to be named after Turing, surely it should be East West Rail? Which is, after all, the one that runs through his most famous stomping ground, and is ultimately hoped to extend to where he studied...

 

[Cherry_Picker]

And who was Victoria Street named after?

Victoria Embankment?

 

[Lloyds siding]

And who was Victoria Street named after?

Victoria Fosdyke?? (If only it were true.)

 

[KNN]

Queen Victoria…but that doesn’t mean the line was named after her, the line was named after the station.

It was indirectly named after Queen Victoria then? Of all the misleading things Johnson has said this seems the most benign.

On the main point, no, railway lines don't need a name. But it seems harmless as well as pointless.

 

[swt_passenger]

It’s 100% no from me, I can’t off hand think of any existing mainline route named for a person?

 

[Brubulus]

It’s 100% no from me, I can’t off hand think of any existing mainline route named for a person?

Ely-Peterbrough is the Hereward Line, though it's not particularly well known.

 

[Buzby]

I still lament the loss of the Fleet Line….

 

[swt_passenger]

Ely-Peterbrough is the Hereward Line, though it's not particularly well known.

I mustn’t have been a’wake for that one…

 

[norbitonflyer]

It’s 100% no from me, I can’t off hand think of any existing mainline route named for a person?

The "Gainsborough" Line on the Essex/Suffolk border is named after the artist, which is very confusing as it goes nowhere near the Lincolnshire town of the same name

If you allow fictional chracaters, there are also the Robin Hood Line and the Ivanhoe Line

 

[eldomtom2]

I assume the Northern Line was so named because it went further south than any of the others, lucus e non lucendo.

The Northern Line was renamed so in 1937 due to the Northern Heights plan, which obviously never happened. Previously it was the Morden-Edgware line.

But I don't really see how (or why) you would name the Transpennine line in the same way. Most stations on the route serve various lines, the trains on it are almost all either through trains and/or only cover some of the line, and it's much more integrated into the broader network of northern England without as separate of an identity.

Japan deals with this problem by having trains routinely change their advertised line mid-service. So, for instance, a TPE Liverpool-Newcastle service could be announced as being "to Newcastle, via the Chat Moss, Huddersfield, Selby, and East Coast lines".

 

[Nottingham59]

Transpennine is too woke. Should be called the Pennine line, really.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Turing's already got a shroud named after him, and a kind of bike, so he can't complain.

Brilliant I had to read that twice!
Poor inhabitants of Tourino - little do they know that, over here, we called it Turin' as a homage to our mathematical genius.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

And who was Victoria Street named after?

Urm, I know this one!

I’m fed up of politicians naming lines, they should reflect the local geography to merge itself into the local identity. We’re probably a year or two away from someone suggesting the WCML should be renamed to something.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Urm, I know this one!

The pub in EastEnders?

 

[Zomboid]

Naming lines and services works well in Japan. It's ultimately just a way of defining a group of services, and it can certainly add some value if trains over a given route are consistently organised.

was as annoyed when a Tory mayor insisted on naming a line after the Queen (and proposed naming the next one after Churchill) as I was when a Labour mayor insisted on naming lines after progressive causes. Both are cringeworthy, sentimental stunts

I don't like any of them. Paddington to Stratford is Crossrail in my mind. I don't even know what the new overground names are, though I think the idea of giving each group a name is a fairly sound one.

 

[Bletchleyite]

An article from the BBC about naming the Transpennine route after Alan Turing:


This begs the question - do railway lines need names (other than those purely practical/geographical)? Where do you draw the line with naming lines? LU/LO or otherwise? Or do you think this has more political sense than practical?

Would it not be more appropriate to call East West Rail that once the line opens to Cambridge, connecting as it does Bletchley (Park) and Cambridge where he studied? East West Rail is a bit of a rubbish name. I'm not convinced about calling TPE that - yes, he has a connection with Manchester too, but that's only one place on the route.

I don't like any of them. Paddington to Stratford is Crossrail in my mind. I don't even know what the new overground names are, though I think the idea of giving each group a name is a fairly sound one.

I mostly like those but the Watford DC really does need to be the Harlequin Line - the shopping centre is even regaining the name. It does have the downside of setting the railway up to be referred to as a bunch of clowns when it goes wrong, but TBH you can make unkind names out of anything if you try hard enough.

 

[Sorcerer]

Much as I'm in favour of Alan Turing getting more recognition than he has received so far, I don't think naming this route after him is the right way of going about it. Mainline railways in the UK have historically been geographically named, so naming the Transpennine route after him would seem a little forced, especially if he had no connection to the area (which I'm not actually sure of I admit, open to being educated on that one).

I mostly like those but the Watford DC really does need to be the Harlequin Line - the shopping centre is even regaining the name.

To be honest, I considered Harlequin when thinking of my own personal renaming's of the London Overground lines, but I feel like cause of pop culture there's a chance that most people would think of Harley Quinn rather than see a portmanteau of Harlseden and Queen's Park. Maybe I overestimate pop culture's influence but you can never be too sure really.

 

[Zomboid]

be honest, I considered Harlequin when thinking of my own personal renaming's of the London Overground lines, but I feel like cause of pop culture there's a chance that most people would think of Harley Quinn rather than see a portmanteau of Harlseden and Queen's Park. Maybe I overestimate pop culture's influence but you can never be too sure really.

That's the first time I've seen reference to a portmanteau of Harlesden and Queens Park, though it does make sense now you've said it.
My first thought when someone says "Harlequin" is probably the rugby team, who of course play nowhere near the Euston - Watford line.

Personally I'd have gone with purely geographic names, things like East London Line are usefully descriptive.

 

[Calthrop]

The LO line naming seems to have been intended mainly to raise the blood pressure of idiots, which can't be a bad thing.

At the risk of being considered an idiot subjected to praiseworthy blood-pressure-raising -- or at least a humourless prig -- the name-branding of lines for publicity purposes, via historical / literary / etc. figures or features, is a "pet peeve" of mine: I find it annoyingly twee; and off-putting, not attracting. (Can also have confusion-potential, as with @norbitonflyer' s post below re the Gainsborough Line.)

Ely-Peterbrough is the Hereward Line, though it's not particularly well known.

The "Gainsborough" Line on the Essex/Suffolk border is named after the artist, which is very confusing as it goes nowhere near the Lincolnshire town of the same name

If you allow fictional chracaters, there are also the Robin Hood Line and the Ivanhoe Line

These are the kind if things which, as above, cause me annoyance; and they are for me, not among the worst of such. Some years ago, I started a thread on the "Railway History and Nostalgia" sub-forum about this, to me irritating, publicity / name-branding / lines business; some fun was had with dreaming up imaginary daft and far-fetched such names, including for some long-closed lines. A real-life -- I think humorous and unofficial -- instance of this, came to my notice recently; a mural has been created just outside Sutton Coldfield station, showing the route of the Lichfield Trent Valley -- Sutton -- Birmingham -- Redditch service, and christening it the "Spaghetti Line": no doubt because of its intersecting the motorway "Spaghetti Junction" in the area of Gravelly Hill and Aston stations.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

That's the first time I've seen reference to a portmanteau of Harlesden and Queens Park, though it does make sense now you've said it.

Believe it was actually Hatch End, Harlesden and Queens Park.

We had a thread on former line names in March 2025.

Line names that are no longer used.

Harlequin Line was used as a name for the London Euston to Watford Junction line in the 80s and 90s and even made it in to the early 00s a bit. NSE launched it as a new line name. Some trains allocated to the route had Harlequin Line stickers by the doors and it was also present at stations on...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[ThirteenArches]

Much as I'm in favour of Alan Turing getting more recognition than he has received so far... naming the Transpennine route after him would seem a little forced, especially if he had no connection to the area

Turing was Reader in Mathematics at Manchester University from 1948 until his death. During that period, he laid foundations for the (late lamented) British computer industry, being involved in the design of the Manchester University Mk1 computer and Ferranti's commercial computers. He had no obvious links with Liverpool, Huddersfield, Leeds or Hull, in which respect I count him lucky.

I agree that naming TransPennine after him would be a bit stretched. A better name would be the Rugby League line, since (Liverpool apart) it links much of the heartland of that sport. Perhaps they could stop short in Wigan or St Helens. Geographically, Mersey and Humber would be physically factual, historically Mills and Ports vaguely romantic and economically factual. Or Fish, Cotton and Wool.

 

[WolvertonWorks]

Having seen the headline this morning I was expecting the article to announce the opening date of the Oxford-Milton Keynes part of E-W rail and to say that E-W rail was to be known as the Turing Line, because of his association with Bletchley Park and Cambridge University.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Having seen the headline this morning I was expecting the article to announce the opening date of the Oxford-Milton Keynes part of E-W rail and to say that E-W rail was to be known as the Turing Line, because of his association with Bletchley Park and Cambridge University.

I would as noted above be very strongly in support of EWR being called that, though it might really have to wait until the Cambridge part opens, as he doesn't have a particular connection with Oxford, Winslow nor Bedford, so until the Cambridge part opens you'd be as well calling the south WCML stoppers** that. (He does have a connection with both Bletchley and Cambridge).

A good start would be to name one of the units after him - that would be easily achieved - anyone here work for Chiltern and fancy throwing it in as a suggestion? I long thought a Marston Vale unit* should be named after him but that fell by the wayside with the problems with the 230s.

* There being three of them I'd go for Turing, John Bunyan and one other - though to avoid bias you'd have to find someone connected with both Bedford and Bletchley - but who? Perhaps just in memory of a Bletchley driver/guard as you sometimes get, or something.
** Under Network SouthEast the south WCML AC services had the rather unimaginative name of "Northampton Line" - I did think they could have done a lot better! The symbol did contain reference to the Grand Union Canal, so maybe the Grand Union Line or the Canal Line would have worked better.