Which train company brand names does the public know and use, and why?

[Nicholas43]

Even saying you were catching the train is ambiguous - you could be getting a domestic service down to Dover and then using the ferry to get across to France. Saying you're on the Eurostar is a quick and easy way to describe your entire travel plan.

Really? As it happens, I'm getting a ferry to Hook of Holland this evening. It would never have occurred to me to say I'm getting 'the' train to Naarden (from Radley). And if I said I was getting 'the' train to London, I wouldn't expect people to wonder if I might be getting a train to St Margaret's, then the ferry, and then a dog-cart.
Apart from the mega-faff at St Pancras, my perception (I accept that others may differ) is that London>Paris is much like London>Edinburgh, or Belfast>Dublin - except that the scenery from Lille to Paris is dull!

 

[tubenutter]

When I say "getting the train" in relation to Eurostar (which I probably do more than I say "getting Eurostar") I often wonder if the people I'm talking to might think that's a bit of an odd way of phrasing it. We still think of "trains" primarily as things you use to travel around the country not to travel between to another one. And the overall experience is quite different.

So maybe you're right that it's often seen as basically a separate mode of transport - as you say, in the same way that it would be a bit weird to say "getting the train" in relation to the Underground in spite of the fact that it is, in fact, a train. If I was referring to a ride on a heritage railway I'd probably often be a bit more specific than "the train" as well. Trains refer, in the British context, primarily to National Rail services and other things get talked about differently.

That's an interesting point about UK users seeing trains as generally for domestic travel. I've never actually used Eurostar so I might be wrong about this, but the 'system' seems to (deliberately?) encourage passengers to see Eurostar as a separate transport mode - for example, I don't think you can buy a Eurostar ticket or find international journey times on nationalrail.co.uk. In combination with other incidental differences (passport checks, requirement to arrive 30 mins before, etc.) it's unsurprising if users see them - and describe them - as being separate.

 

[Western Lord]

Soccer isn't an American word, its origins are English. The equivalent of rugger for rugby football, soccer was shorthand for association football when both sports were public school dominated. Obviously a bit antiquated here now though.

From around 1965 to 1968 ITV's highlights programme on Sunday afternoon was Star Soccer. In those days football did not refer exclusively to the association kind (I'm not sure exactly when soccer began to appropriate the term football, to the virtual exclusion of all other types).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

From around 1965 to 1968 ITV's highlights programme on Sunday afternoon was Star Soccer. In those days football did not refer exclusively to the association kind (I'm not sure exactly when soccer began to appropriate the term football, to the virtual exclusion of all other types).

Some sources suggest that usage of the word "soccer" in Britain started to tail off in the early 1970s when the word was incorrectly perceived as an Americanism. Noted that the North American Soccer League started in c. 1967-68 so there may be something to this assertion.

 

[Gareth]

Perhaps but it was still fairly common into the 90s. Liverpool's largely a "one code" city, so to speak, so "football" only ever really meant one thing but "soccer" was still used occasionally in conversation and I don't remember anyone having a meltdown over it.

 

[Parallel]

I hear ‘South West Trains’ more than SWR. Maybe because it’s punchy and easy to say.

Other TOCs I hear said a lot by the public are ‘Northern Rail’, ‘Avanti’ and ‘Southern’. Avanti have done well really considering the aggressive marketing under Virgin Trains.

 

[linmanfu]

A lot of comments here chime with what my ears hear:

• "the Virgin" versus "the slow train" being a common distinction in the Crewe-Stoke area (have never heard anyone refer to Avanti yet).
• "Granada" as well as "ITV" in northwest England when people discuss what's on Channel 3.
• London Midland were just beginning to seep into my parents' consciousness when they lost the franchise.
• Northern, often as "Northern Fail"
• I once heard a Londoner talk about "the overground" meaning National Rail in contrast to the Underground. But that was someone who lived in Wimbledon and drove around London. I don't think many people would make that 'mistake' if they lived in Brockley, New Cross, and other places where National Rail vs (London) Overground makes a big difference to where you go, how fast you go, and how much you pay.

 

[miklcct]

I once heard a Londoner talk about "the overground" meaning National Rail in contrast to the Underground. But that was someone who lived in Wimbledon and drove around London. I don't think many people would make that 'mistake' if they lived in Brockley, New Cross, and other places where National Rail vs (London) Overground makes a big difference to where you go, how fast you go, and how much you pay.

I believe that "the overground train" has been a term long used by Londoners for decades, and there was an era where these trains were branded "overground network".

 

[pne]

Whenever I hear people complain about rail travel they say b..... British Rail

Similarly here in Germany, where it may be "Sch...bundesbahn" if something goes wrong, though the "Bundesbahn" (Federal Railway) hasn't been around since 1994. (It's been "Deutsche Bahn" - German Rail - rather than "Deutsche Bundesbahn" - German Federal Railways - since then.)

 

[Bletchleyite]

Similarly here in Germany, where it may be "Sch...bundesbahn" if something goes wrong, though the "Bundesbahn" (Federal Railway) hasn't been around since 1994. (It's been "Deutsche Bahn" - German Rail - rather than "Deutsche Bundesbahn" - German Federal Railways - since then.)

Though I suppose it is still a Bundesbahn, i.e. a federally-owned railway. Interestingly, as an aside, Germans generally consider DB to be privatised as it's an "arms length" operation just owned by the Government rather than part of the civil service as it was, I guess similar in concept to LNER plus Network Rail.

The privately contracted local services aren't, though, and I expect they still attract that name.

 

[HarryL]

"The British Rail network" seems to still be the common way to describe the entire rail network in the UK, despite National Rail trying to get their name used instead.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Back in 2004 my inlaws remarked on an advert for "Scotrail", saying what a poor reputatin it had (with them at least), completely missing the point that the advert marked a change of franchisee (NatEx to First) and hopefully a new broom.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Most non-railway people wouldn't even consider there was a technical difference between saying "Northern" or "Northern Rail".
Besides, unless someone is saying something specific about one or the other company, to pull them up on it would be pedantic to the point of rudeness.

 

[windingroad]

Back in 2004 my inlaws remarked on an advert for "Scotrail", saying what a poor reputatin it had (with them at least), completely missing the point that the advert marked a change of franchisee (NatEx to First) and hopefully a new broom.

I think even now (post-nationalisation) I'd say a large minority have no real understanding of who runs ScotRail or what the arrangement has been in the past. As a brand name it feels sufficiently distinct (from government or franchisees) that I suspect many people see it as a standalone company.

Personally once it's in better shape again I'd welcome a rebrand, as unlikely as that is.

 

[Mike Machin]

A lot of people I know still refer to British Rail!

 

[stuu]

When I say "getting the train" in relation to Eurostar (which I probably do more than I say "getting Eurostar") I often wonder if the people I'm talking to might think that's a bit of an odd way of phrasing it. We still think of "trains" primarily as things you use to travel around the country not to travel between to another one. And the overall experience is quite different.

So maybe you're right that it's often seen as basically a separate mode of transport - as you say, in the same way that it would be a bit weird to say "getting the train" in relation to the Underground in spite of the fact that it is, in fact, a train. If I was referring to a ride on a heritage railway I'd probably often be a bit more specific than "the train" as well. Trains refer, in the British context, primarily to National Rail services and other things get talked about differently.

I agree, Eurostar is generally used as the name for the mode rather than the brand. It's widely-known, useful short-hand and unambiguous as there are very limited destinations.

I don't know that I have heard any other brand names used in normal conversation, except when things go wrong. People then do complain about "***ing Great Western"! But in general people say they are catching the train.

 

[STINT47]

A friend still tells me that she changes at Derby for the Virgin Cross Country service to Exeter. I'm not sure if this shows the strength of the Virgin brand or how poor the Arriva rebrand was.

 

[BenS123]

I've heard quite a few people refer to South Western Railway as South West Trains 5 years after becoming SWR!

 

[mmh]

I believe that "the overground train" has been a term long used by Londoners for decades, and there was an era where these trains were branded "overground network".

That overstates the "overground network" branding somewhat. It lasted a few years, with an orange "ON" logo without the wording. It was put on a few information signs (very few) but other than railway nerds nobody knew what it meant, and nobody ever used the phrase.

 

[bicbasher]

My mother who is in no way an enthusiast calls Southern "the green trains" and London Overground "the Overground."

 

[miklcct]

I agree, Eurostar is generally used as the name for the mode rather than the brand. It's widely-known, useful short-hand and unambiguous as there are very limited destinations.

Will people refer to other international trains as "eurostar" when new operators run trains through the Channel Tunnel?

 

[Irascible]

I've heard quite a few people refer to South Western Railway as South West Trains 5 years after becoming SWR!

I do that & I do know the difference. People will refer to Great Western ( but not SWR by name - maybe it's just because GWR has history ) down here if they're actually specifying which way they're going to London, otherwise "the train".

 

[stuu]

Will people refer to other international trains as "eurostar" when new operators run trains through the Channel Tunnel?

Definitely I would have thought

 

[DanNCL]

I've certainly heard non-enthusiasts refer to 80x units by the Azuma name, even when not referring to LNER units! I know at least one non-enthusiast who calls them Satsumas, a name I'd previously only heard used by enthusiasts.

 

[MontyP]

Where I live (Wimbledon), people refer to either South West Trains or the overground (to distinguish from the District Line underground) when talking about the rail services into Waterloo. Never South Western Railway! And most people seem blissfully unaware that Thameslink even exists at Wimbledon.

 

[Matt_pool]

I was at Liverpool Lime Street last week waiting for a Northern service to arrive on platform 8. Then a 5 carriage Transpennine Express 802 pulls into the platform (they usually go into platforms 1-5), off get the passengers, then several dozen people waiting for the Northern service get on the TPE train. I started telling people that it wasn't the Northern service to Manchester but they carried on getting on.

Next thing there was an announcement that the Northern service would now depart from platform 10, but those on the TPE train just sat there and didn't move. The Northern service was already delayed, then it was further delayed while they waited for all the eejits on the TPE train to get around to platform 10.

I often here people on Northern services who are going to Widnes or Warrington start groaning when they realise they are on the stopper and that they should have got the EMR train that left from the adjacent platform 4 minutes earlier. I don't suppose it helps that Northern have a few 156's still in the EMR livery!

 

[321over360]

I've called SWR by its old term (South West Trains) last year as it flows better then South Western Railway when I went to the iow from London, even after NXEA changed into GA I still kept on referring to it as NXEA for ages after so it happens where people still associate a route with a previous TOC than the existing TOC

 

[Irascible]

I believe that "the overground train" has been a term long used by Londoners for decades, and there was an era where these trains were branded "overground network".

My mum, who worked in London in the 60s, definitely used "overground" to refer to not-LT trains.

 

[urbophile]

The worst was Virgin. They never went all the way.

But neither did they stop at Edge Hill.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I recently heard a passenger who had just got off the train complaining to his travelling companions that the toilets at the station were closed. "Bl***y London Transport".
This was at Kingston, which has nothing whatsoever to do with TfL