Three-Letter CRS Station Codes: When were they defined?

[ccityplanner12]

I recently been wondering when station codes were defined & have noticed some oddities which could be of interest, for example:

• Eltham is [ELW]. This appears to refer to the old Eltham Well Hall station. Eltham was rebuilt as a single station in 1985.
• There is a code for Belfast Central, but not Belfast Great Victoria Street. GVS closed in 1976 & reopened in 1995.
• (South) Woodham Ferrers is [SOF]. The lack of a W in the new code suggests the W was tackily replaced with an S.
• Ashford (Middlesex/Surrey), the Derry~Londonderry of the southeast, is [AFS], suggesting it is from after the 1970s admin county reforms.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

They are interesting things.

I suspect the codes are only ever changed when it is absolutely necessary to do so (e.g. a total renaming), given how ingrained they are within the industry and its systems, and I suspect the massive bill that would come with having to change them in terms of IT and publications etc - see HPQ surviving for Harwich International, and BSV for Buckshaw Parkway, changed at the last minute from its working title of Buckshaw Village.

Eltham I suspect was a case of just rolling over one of the old codes into a new location (see also ALE working in some systems for Liverpool South Parkway (it replaced Allerton) and Abercynon assuming Abercynon South's ACY).

 

[swt_passenger]

Mottisfont & Dunbridge kept the original DBG when its name expanded.

 

[edwin_m]

http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/crs/CRS0.shtm

CRS codes are one way of identifying places, usually stations (though some junctions and depots have codes). The system began operation in 1979, initially for Sealink, soon extending to East Coast stations. It was created to enable the booking of seat reservations by (station-based) computers, though by the late 1980s travel centres also had access and the system was extended to track passengers requiring travel assistance.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

The current CRS may date from 1979 but at least some of the codes it uses pre-date that time. My interest in railways started about 1975 and I quickly got used to some of the codes being visible on such things as newspaper bundles, Red Star Parcels, etc.

 

[backontrack]

The code for Kirkby Stephen on the Settle & Carlisle Line is KSW. This refers to Kirkby Stephen West, the name of the station while the Stainmore Line (with a station at Kirkby Stephen East) was still open. Kirkby Stephen West was closed in 1970 and was reopened in 1986.

 

[hexagon789]

There is a code for Belfast Central, but not Belfast Great Victoria Street. GVS closed in 1976 & reopened in 1995.

I don't think Northern Ireland Railways use CRS codes themselves though, being separate from National Rail.

 

[EM2]

I've often wondered why Ebbsfleet is EBD, when EBS or EBF isn't used for another station. Was it supposed to be Ebbsfleet Dartford at some time?

 

[Steddenm]

Translink Northern Ireland Railways have their own version of the codes used here.

There’s a full list here:

https://apis.opendatani.gov.uk/translink/

 

[najaB]

There is a code for Belfast Central, but not Belfast Great Victoria Street. GVS closed in 1976 & reopened in 1995.

I think that's because fares to Belfast are defined to Belfast Central (or Belfast Port) but not to Great Victoria Street. Other destinations in NI (and the Republic) have CRS codes defined (e.g. LDR for Derry/Londonderry).

 

[hexagon789]

Translink Northern Ireland Railways have their own version of the codes used here.

There’s a full list here:

https://apis.opendatani.gov.uk/translink/

Never seen those used (bit long for general consumption ), but it makes sense that they have them.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

I always thought that a Midland man with a twisted sense of humour had given Leamington Spa the code LMS.

 

[adrock1976]

Hayes & Harlington in Middlesex has the code HAY.

If Hay-on-Wye station in Herefordshire remained open today, would HAY have been allocated to that, with Hayes & Harlington allocated something like HHN?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Hayes & Harlington in Middlesex has the code HAY.

If Hay-on-Wye station in Herefordshire remained open today, would HAY have been allocated to that, with Hayes & Harlington allocated something like HHN?

I wouldn't say so, you would just find something else to fit Hay on Wye. If nothing can be made from it, I suspect you would just add filler like they had to do for Stow (SOI) and Baglan (BAJ). Plenty of stations take the first three letters of a name when it could apply to many others - see BAN for Banbury, when you also have Bangor, Bank Hall, Banstead etc.

 

[tsr]

I do wonder why Anerley is “ANZ”. “Z” in a code usually denotes a station which has Tube-related history. Farringdon, for example, is “ZFD”.

 

[37 418]

I do wonder why Anerley is “ANZ”. “Z” in a code usually denotes a station which has Tube-related history. Farringdon, for example, is “ZFD”.

Z is only Underground related if it begins with Z. the previous code was ANY, which may have been needed for other uses and all other possible combinations were exhausted.

 

[father_jack]

BDM. Bedford stations. Anyone explain that ?

 

[Domh245]

BDM. Bedford stations. Anyone explain that ?

Bedford Midland, I thought (as opposed to Bedford St Johns)

 

[Altfish]

BDM. Bedford stations. Anyone explain that ?

Bedford Midland

oops too slow

 

[Spartacus]

Bedford Midland, to distinguish from Bedford St Johns on the old LNW line.

Ha ha! Lots of replies!

 

[ViscountFan]

Luton Airport (Bus) is LUA. It seems surprising that the opportunity wasn't taken to make this the same as the already existing IATA code for the airport, which is LTN. Instead, this CRS code is given to Luton Airport Parkway.

 

[satisnek]

It strikes me that they made a grave error of judgment in allocating BNS to Barnes.

 

[najaB]

It strikes me that they made a grave error of judgment in allocating BNS to Barnes.

Why do you say that?

 

[lewisf]

Why do you say that?

Instead of Birmingham New Street

 

[najaB]

Instead of Birmingham New Street

But, outside the enthusiast community, how many people ask for a ticket to Birmingham New Street specifically? Most people just say "I want a ticket to Birmingham" for which BHM makes sense as the principal station.

 

[Nean]

I always end up putting Liverpool South Parkway as LSP instead of LPY when typing into booking engines before correcting myself... Was there an LSP at one point that's become unused?

 

[pdeaves]

I always end up putting Liverpool South Parkway as LSP instead of LPY when typing into booking engines before correcting myself... Was there an LSP at one point that's become unused?

From what I can gather, LSP was allocated before being changed to LPY. See also http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/crs/CRSl.shtm

 

[satisnek]

But, outside the enthusiast community, how many people ask for a ticket to Birmingham New Street specifically? Most people just say "I want a ticket to Birmingham" for which BHM makes sense as the principal station.

Perhaps, but I would have thought that 'Birmingham New Street' is a station name well-known to the travelling public in general, like 'Bristol Temple Meads' and 'Edinburgh Waverley'. However, looking at those two examples the codes are also based purely on the city name and not the full station name, so I can see the logic in using 'BHM' from that point of view.

 

[telstarbox]

And similarly for Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street.