Should Cambridge station be renamed now there's a North?

[Bletchleyite]

I propose it’s renamed “Cambridge Awkward” in account of its location !

"Cambridge not-very-Central"?

 

[Ianno87]

So does "Cambridge City".

I must be missing the hordes of confused tourists routinely turning up at the wrong station today then....

Cambridge City risks implying "Cambridge Not the University". More information usually adds confusion, particularly where there is a language barrier.

 

[AM9]

A bit OT, but no, it's just SSE (SSSE if there is such a thing ) - though this is using the OS's marking which seems generally to be the main building position.

Or if you're taking extreme platform ends, probably due south *or* a little bit SSSW. But anyway, the point relevant to this thread was that a station name containing a compass direction doesn't have to mean location

View attachment 74592
OS 1:25000 extract showing both stations

The terms would be 'south by east' and 'south by west' according to this:http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/BoxingtheCompas.html

 

[Aictos]

I certainly would rename Luton to Luton Town, as that actually does cause confusion. I'd similarly rename Birmingham International to Birmingham Airport (for the NEC) - that was actually on the cards at one point but seems to have been abandoned. I don't care about points of the compass, but to me it does make sense to use a clear qualifier where the same name appears on more than one station in a town - hence Cambridge. I do like the idea of "Cambridge City" of the options given so far.

As a slight OT aside, Wolverton as MK North and Bletchley as MK South were on the cards in the 1970s I believe, but met with significant local opposition.

There is nothing wrong with Cambridge keeping its current name, all this proposal is in simple terms is someone who’s bored and has nothing better to do.

My point about Luton was simply pointing out how silly the proposal is, the only confusion that occurs is people think they need to change at Luton for the airport and not Luton AIRPORT Parkway which is something that the airport needs to address.

This is just a waste of time and resources which would be put to better use elsewhere so yes I’m solidly against any name change.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The terms would be 'south by east' and 'south by west' according to this:http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/BoxingtheCompas.html

I suspect seafaring terms are different from mainstream ones, but in practice people will specify in degrees/mils once you get to more than 8 points anyway.

But this is heading OT - the point was just that a compass direction in the station name does not deem it located in that direction in relation to anything else!

 

[Bletchleyite]

My point about Luton was simply pointing out how silly the proposal is, the only confusion that occurs is people think they need to change at Luton for the airport and not Luton AIRPORT Parkway which is something that the airport needs to address.

You can of course change at Luton Town onto Busway services (which I understand is what people actually call it) and some would argue that at present it's a rather more civilised experience to do so!

 

[Aictos]

You can of course change at Luton Town onto Busway services (which I understand is what people actually call it) and some would argue that at present it's a rather more civilised experience to do so!

Now that Arriva run up to every 10 mins from Luton which rivals the Airport shuttle, there’s little difference apart from cost maybe.

Neither would I say one is more civilised then the other as both are incredibly busy those days.

My point still stands that it’s a waste of time to rename a station just because someone thinks it needs to be done.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

No-one ever raised a subject similar to the thread title query about the very long-standing station of Garforth which was opened in 1834 by the Leeds and Salby Railway, when East Garforth station was opened 153 years later in May 1987 to serve the new housing developments in that area.

 

[Aictos]

No-one ever raised a subject similar to the thread title query about the very long-standing station of Garforth which was opened in 1834 by the Leeds and Salby Railway, when East Garforth station was opened 153 years later in May 1987 to serve the new housing developments in that area.

My point exactly!

 

[AM9]

No-one ever raised a subject similar to the thread title query about the very long-standing station of Garforth which was opened in 1834 by the Leeds and Salby Railway, when East Garforth station was opened 153 years later in May 1987 to serve the new housing developments in that area.

Apart from a few major city centre stations, (e.g. all the 'Londons' like Euston, Waterloo, Liverpoool St, and Liverpool Lime St, Birmingham New St.), the trend is to simplify station names where sensible, such as Reading, Norwich, Dover, when the other stations in those settlements have closed. That is despite older passengers and some railway employees still using their older names, (Reading General, Norwich Thorpe and Dover Marine respectively).

 

[ashkeba]

[...] the trend is to simplify station names where sensible, such as Reading, Norwich, Dover, when the other stations in those settlements have closed. That is despite older passengers and some railway employees still using their older names, (Reading General, Norwich Thorpe and Dover Marine respectively).

Dover Marine closed. Dover Priory continues.

But remember this thread started not from a time waster proposal but from a comment about the names actually being used by passengers since a second station opened. Saying "I'll meet you at the station" is now less clear than "main station" and many similar contexts.

I wonder if Greater Anglia fancy some sponsorship and will rename it Cambridge Mill Park or similar if offered money by the developers. I quite like the idea of Cambridge Botanic Gardens, our own rival to Bahnhof Zoo, but I doubt they want to sponsor

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wonder if Greater Anglia fancy some sponsorship and will rename it Cambridge Mill Park or similar if offered money by the developers. I quite like the idea of Cambridge Botanic Gardens, our own rival to Bahnhof Zoo, but I doubt they want to sponsor

I think the problem with anything like that is that it implies it's not the station for the city centre, which it is. I still favour Cambridge City (and Luton Town).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Apart from a few major city centre stations, (e.g. all the 'Londons' like Euston, Waterloo, Liverpoool St, and Liverpool Lime St, Birmingham New St.), the trend is to simplify station names where sensible, such as Reading, Norwich, Dover, when the other stations in those settlements have closed. That is despite older passengers and some railway employees still using their older names, (Reading General, Norwich Thorpe and Dover Marine respectively).

But why should the long-standing named railway stations of Cambridge and Garforth be subject to the name change, as has been suggested, as these are the major settlements which have carried their names for far longer than any much-smaller "newcomer" station. Surely logic decrees that when these new stations came along, it was those who should have been given a somewhat different railway station name.

 

[PG]

"Cambridge not-very-Central"?

Or "Cambridge "

 

[Cambus731]

This situation isn't unique to Cambridge.
One could also make a case for renaming Braintree station, Braintree Town.

 

[sprunt]

I wonder if Greater Anglia fancy some sponsorship and will rename it Cambridge Mill Park or similar if offered money by the developers. I quite like the idea of Cambridge Botanic Gardens, our own rival to Bahnhof Zoo, but I doubt they want to sponsor

This may be a slightly tongue in cheek suggestion, but would it be for the TOC to decide on the new name, or for them to decide that the name should be changed? Given their here today, gone tomorrow status I would have hoped not.

 

[geoffk]

That might work. It isn't really in the city centre, but the name doesn't say that.

Same situation in Colchester, since St. Botolph's was sensibly renamed Colchester Town. The main station is sometimes called Colchester North, but is that official? I wouldn't go for General, as that's a bit Great Western-ish.

 

[bspahh]

Can we leave Cambridge station as is, and rename Cambridge Heath to something that doesn't include Cambridge?

 

[Ianno87]

I think the problem with anything like that is that it implies it's not the station for the city centre, which it is. I still favour Cambridge City (and Luton Town).

Cambridge City is a football team and yet another potential source of confusion....whose ground is even further from the station than the city centre! (Ironically probably slightly closer to Cambridge North...)

 

[ashkeba]

This may be a slightly tongue in cheek suggestion, but would it be for the TOC to decide on the new name, or for them to decide that the name should be changed? Given their here today, gone tomorrow status I would have hoped not.

Someone can obviously sell station names because Bicester Village. If not the station operator then who?

 

[83A]

This may be a slightly tongue in cheek suggestion, but would it be for the TOC to decide on the new name, or for them to decide that the name should be changed? Given their here today, gone tomorrow status I would have hoped not.

They could ask the public? But they will probably end up with "Cambridge Mc Cam Face"

 

[Strat-tastic]

I propose it’s renamed “Cambridge Awkward” in account of its location !

Cambridge Longwalk

 

[randyrippley]

Lets rename Clapham Junction as Clapham (South) to avoid confusion with the real Clapham (in Yorkshire) which is also near a junction...…...but then there's a case for renaming Gargrave as Clapham South because that's what it really is, so can you find a better name for Clapham Junction to remove the ambiguity? South London Junction perhaps?

 

[Ianno87]

Lets rename Clapham Junction as Clapham (South) to avoid confusion with the real Clapham (in Yorkshire) which is also near a junction...…...but then there's a case for renaming Gargrave as Clapham South because that's what it really is, so can you find a better name for Clapham Junction to remove the ambiguity? South London Junction perhaps?

Points out there is already a Clapham South tube station.

 

[PTR 444]

Lets rename Clapham Junction as Clapham (South) to avoid confusion with the real Clapham (in Yorkshire) which is also near a junction...…...but then there's a case for renaming Gargrave as Clapham South because that's what it really is, so can you find a better name for Clapham Junction to remove the ambiguity? South London Junction perhaps?

Battersea Junction?

 

[sprunt]

Just Battersea.