Trivia: Stations that primarily serve business parks

[Peter0124]

Dagenham Dock

 

[jimm]

I'm doing some research into stations that are primarily built for business purposes. Reading Green Park springs to mind. What other stations are there like this?

Are you aware that right next to Reading Green Park station is a housing development called Green Park Village, which will have 1,300 homes by the time it is completed in 2026? This project was a key factor in the station getting the go-ahead.

 

[BeijingDave]

Hawarden Bridge

 

[70014IronDuke]

Isn't Eccles Road, near Thetford, next to some sort of business park? Whether that supplies the bulk of its 1,830 entries and exits in the last 12-month count, I don't know. But with only two trains ew per day, it's not likely to ever amount to much.

 

[DarloRich]

Bow Brickhill - although there is a village most traffic seems to go to the business park, industrial units or Red Bull F1 factory!

 

[camflyer]

I thought that was a large element of the original justification for it, though as a regular user (and personally using it to commute to the Science Park), I don't think it has ended up as such - probably because it is a bit too far away from the Science Park, via one of two very uninspiring (and increasingly poorly-lit, with quite a number of street lights out at the moment) paths.

Most users just seem to be using it as a (leisure) alternative to the main Cambridge station, probably because they live closer and/or because it is easier to get to. And it is increasingly popular and doing rather well. But I'm not convinced it gets the amount of Science Park traffic originally envisaged.

When we have visitors to our office the CSP they still mostly use a taxi to/from the station. The public transport links between Cambridge North and the Science Park (and St John's Innovation Centre) need to be improved. There are two guided bus stops but both are on the South/Western side of the Park so would still need a longish walk if your office/lab is on the north/eastern side.

Really could do with a circular bus service which goes around the CSP loop and SJIC and back to Cambridge North. Maybe also include the Milton Park and Ride.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Theale

 

[CarrotPie]

Kemsing

 

[MikeWM]

When we have visitors to our office the CSP they still mostly use a taxi to/from the station. The public transport links between Cambridge North and the Science Park (and St John's Innovation Centre) need to be improved.

They certainly do. I'm not at all surprised most of your guests use a taxi given how lacking the other options are.

Really could do with a circular bus service which goes around the CSP loop and SJIC and back to Cambridge North. Maybe also include the Milton Park and Ride.

Agreed, that sounds very sensible.

I thought the 905 (the X5 replacement between Cambridge and St Neots) did a CSP loop for a while, but if it did at one point it doesn't appear to anymore. Plus there was a shuttle bus put on by the Science Park for a couple of years before covid, but that's not returned since.

I guess part of the problem is with the woefully inadequate junctions for crossing Milton Road (inadequate for all modes of transport, including foot) - something that doesn't seem to be a remote priority to fix for some reason, despite the popularity of the new station.

 

[John Griffiths]

On the Tyne & Wear Metro, Bede station in the Bede Industrial and Trading Estates between Jarrow and South Shields. A wobblier case could be made for Regent Centre named for the eponymous business zone, though it also serves several nearby housing areas.

Also in the NE, on National Rail, MetroCentre station, serving the retail and office facilities there (largely the former, I would guess)

 

[Pnerick81]

Salwick nr Preston . Primarily used for the Springfield nuclear plant . Although I think it’s down to 1 train a day

 

[Howardh]

Horwich Parkway, there are no dwellings nearby so it's there for three purposes, to serve the shopping park nearby, to serve the P+R (but no local buses) and to serve the business estate opposite. And, of course the football but that's not daily.

Would be interested to see which is it's prime customer, the car park is limited so do more use it going to/from the businesses nearby? Can't really see it being used much for the Middlebrook shopping centre, that has a huge car park, and also bus services go through, and the station's still a bit of a walk with a full load of shopping.

Could be an argument for Buckshaw parkway too although I would suggest that's more of a P+R station than serving businesses nearby.

 

[Bald Rick]

Salwick nr Preston . Primarily used for the Springfield nuclear plant . Although I think it’s down to 1 train a day

Thought that was a monorail?

 

[bearhugger]

Redcar British Steel, which is temporarily closed since the steelworks closed down but could re-open once redevelopment of the site is complete.