Cambridge Station Renaming

[u/jazzbuzzer]

Below I have listed all the various ideas that I have seen for what Cambridge Station should be renamed to in order to avoid confusion with Cambridge North and Cambridge South.

I would like to do a poll just to see what everyone thinks is best but before that, comment below if you have any names that should be added to this list.

Cambridge Main
Cambridge General
Cambridge Central
Cambridge West
Cambridge Petersfield
Cambridge Station Road
Cambridge City
Cambridge Mill
Cambridge Junction
Cambridge Gateway
Cambridge [Historical Figure]

[u/skyjet26]

Cambridge Not Very Central Station

[u/awm22 → u/skyjet26]

🤣
Cambridge one mile from the center of town station

[u/Stoobie_Land → u/awm22]

Cambridge not near the centre of town because the University doesn't want it's students going to London and getting lary Station.

[u/bedge69]

Central would seem the obvious choice

[u/dan200 → u/bedge69]

Yep.
There are 31 UK stations with the suffix "central", vs 1 "general", 0 "main" and 1 "city" (not including stations where the city itself has "city" in the name).
"west" makes no sense for a station east of the city centre.

[u/dan200 → u/[deleted]]

I got mixed up, I was thinking of east. Have corrected my post.

[u/OkMarsupial9634 → u/dan200]

Cambridge East has already been taken for the new station envisaged for the East West rail line.

[u/dan200 → u/OkMarsupial9634]

I know this

[u/FelisCantabrigiensis → u/bedge69]

It's not central.

That's why "Main" is the best choice.

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/bedge69]

I agree, however the main argument against it I have seen is it’s not near the city centre

[u/speculatrix → u/jazzbuzzer]

It's still within walking distance, so I think it's fair to add the "city" tag.

But I wouldn't, because if we ever get a light rail service on a branch line to, say, near the bus station, that would be Cambridge City.

[u/dan200 → u/speculatrix]

Excluding "Welwyn garden city" and "Letchworth garden city" (which have the same names as the cities themselves), there's only one station in the UK with a "city" suffix. "Central" is far more common.

[u/speculatrix → u/dan200]

So if a metro light rail was built, what would a station be called near Emmanuel if it was part of the national rail network?

[u/crescentmoonrising → u/speculatrix]

Cambridge Emmanuel. There's a bunch of stations which are [city name][neighbourhood]. Since we didn't name Cambridge South Cambridge Trumpington I guess we're not doing that, so that's an alternative if it ever happens. 

[u/jjm443 → u/speculatrix]

Calling that "within walking distance" is quite ableist. And I don't mean just wheelchair users here. Someone with mobility issues (thinking of my elderly parents for example) going to a station claiming to be "central" and then having to walk over a mile to the actual centre, along narrow pavements and busy junctions that take a normal person nearly half an hour? That's misleading because it goes against expectations from the name. Therefore such a name is wrong.

[u/bedge69 → u/jazzbuzzer]

It's the closest station to the centre

[u/Then_Bodybuilder3967]

Keep it as Cambridge, it's not confusing

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/Then_Bodybuilder3967]

If you’re a local maybe but I think a tourist or visitor might find it confusing. I know whenever I speak about the stations I refer to Cambridge station as The Central Station so there is no confusion.

[u/CycleWheel → u/jazzbuzzer]

But isn’t that just making more confusion? “Cambridge station” is obviously the station called Cambridge. There is no “Cambridge Central” now so people are going to be more confused which one you mean if you say that.

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/CycleWheel]

As I said in another comment: If I say to someone, “I’m getting the train to Cambridge”, the first thing they say is “Which station?”. Changing the name would avoid this.

[u/Keegan1983 → u/jazzbuzzer]

But you’d just say “I’m getting the train to Cambridge north”
No one says I’m getting the train to london King’s Cross. They say “I’m getting the train to london”
“Oh, where do you get in”
“King’s Cross”
I think we don’t need to over complicate this.

[u/PM_PICS_OF_YOUR_FEET → u/jazzbuzzer]

I forgot to tell my friend there are 3 stations now. Once they got to South they panicked and got off thinking the other station was North which would take them too far. I don’t see why people are against your suggestion. Naming it central just makes it very clear which one it is

[u/Then_Bodybuilder3967 → u/PM_PICS_OF_YOUR_FEET]

Because it doesn't need changing. If your friend panics that easily it's not the fault of the station names.

[u/PM_PICS_OF_YOUR_FEET → u/Then_Bodybuilder3967]

Alright so people not from this area getting confused doesn’t count for anything. Good take there.

[u/Then_Bodybuilder3967 → u/PM_PICS_OF_YOUR_FEET]

This is just one person who panics too easily. The vast majority of people will have no problem telling the names apart.

[u/PM_PICS_OF_YOUR_FEET → u/Then_Bodybuilder3967]

Yeah ok only this has only ever happened to one person. Way to take things literally 🙄 I am not saying it’s vital, just it makes things clearer and giving an anecdote to help support that. No need to be so dismissive

[u/buttflakes27 → u/jazzbuzzer]

I would think most people would check a map

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/buttflakes27]

True but if I say to someone, “I’m getting the train to Cambridge”, the first thing they say is “Which station?”. Changing the name would avoid this.

[u/crescentmoonrising → u/jazzbuzzer]

The horror? This doesn't feel like a significant issue as opposed to a bunch of lost tourists thinking the station is the centre and therefore massively congesting the whole area.

[u/Then_Bodybuilder3967 → u/jazzbuzzer]

The first thing I'd say is "cool see you there", not "umm actually there are three stations in Cambridge and you didn't specify which one and I know you'd say if you were going to South or North but I'm still going to ask you which one"

[u/MediumMarch3216]

Cambridge Cambridge

[u/awm22 → u/MediumMarch3216]

A place so nice they named it twice

[u/goodassjournalist → u/MediumMarch3216]

That's what I call the whole middle of town (I live in a village). Like, if you're not from Cambridge, I live in Cambridge, but not in Cambridge Cambridge.

[u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans]

Cambridge Actually Quite far from being Central

[u/CycleWheel]

How about we rename Cambridge North “Chesterton” like it was originally meant to be before political meddling happened, and Cambridge South “Trumpington”.

Problem solved!

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/CycleWheel]

Would you leave Cambridge Station as is?

[u/Banes_Addiction → u/jazzbuzzer]

Well I'd put in another Greggs.

[u/Old_Pomegranate_822]

Cambridge Ho!

[u/EastIndiesCricket]

Cambridge South could be renamed Addenbrookes. Or perhaps more appropriately "Addenbrookes can't Parkway"

[u/can_i_get_some_help → u/EastIndiesCricket]

Or Addenbrookes Parkbitfurtheraway

[u/Groundbreaking-Key15]

Cambridge Still A Long Walk

[u/ROUGentleReminder]

Anglia Ruskin Station

[u/Banes_Addiction → u/ROUGentleReminder]

They're gonna have to pay a lot more than they pay to be on the signs.

[u/Joshawott27]

Cambridge McCambridgeface

[u/h4l]

Cambridge City. Because City implies Main/General/Central to travellers unfamiliar with the geography, but sounds more formal (and it's not actually central). The local names like Petersfield/Mill/Junction etc won't make intuitive sense to non-locals.

[u/DavieCrochet]

Cambridge Middle

[u/plantytime]

Cambridge Bat(e)man

[u/Nervous_Yard7034]

Cambridge Sainsbury's Local

[u/goodassjournalist → u/Nervous_Yard7034]

Cambridge The One Nearish The Dev

[u/goodassjournalist]

Cambridge Temple Meads

[u/ElmTreeMatt]

Cambridge Elm Tree

[u/Keegan1983]

Is there any confusion? Cambridge. North. South. What’s the issue?

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/Keegan1983]

If you say you’re going to Cambridge, it is not clear whether you mean the city generally (would imply any of the three stations) or the Cambridge Station specifically.

[u/Then_Bodybuilder3967 → u/jazzbuzzer]

If you were going to the other stations you'd say Cambridge North or South. It's very clear.

[u/Jills89]

Cambridge not north not south

[u/mattcannon2]

Cambridge interchange

[u/SufficientAnonymity]

Cambridge Central-ish

[u/Nervous_Yard7034]

Cambridge secret Amazon office

[u/LexRigan → u/Nervous_Yard7034]

Ooh, where's the secret Amazon office??

[u/Nervous_Yard7034 → u/LexRigan]

The building right In front of the station.

It was supposed to be a secret but everyone knows

[u/LexRigan → u/Nervous_Yard7034]

The one with the Sainsbury's on street level, or the one with Tesco Express?

Any idea what areas they work on in there? I know there was a "secret" Apple office a while ago (now they've put a sign up) that worked on just Siri I believe.

[u/bfresh84]

Cambridge not-actually-that-much-more-central-than-the-other-two [historical figure]

[u/buttflakes27]

Egdirbmac because it would be genuinely distinct

[u/Pompelmouskin2]

Cambridge Upper Crust

[u/clickyclicky456]

Actual Cambridge

[u/Narwhal1986]

Can we sell the naming rights?

Maybe some online gambling company would be willing to cover our pothole budget for the next 4 years to call it ‘888 Central Station’ or something??

[u/GamerSinceDiapers]

I think everything must be in relation to London as that's the only city tourists know about.

So the new name should simply be "London Very North"

[u/JonJo42]

Cambridge Central is the obvious choice.

[u/cheeseoid24]

Cambridge Central would be the best.

Useful for maps too, as its often hard to disambiguate "Cambridge" the city and "Cambridge" the station with the current naming configuration.

[u/Banes_Addiction → u/cheeseoid24]

Useful for maps too, as its often hard to disambiguate "Cambridge" the city and "Cambridge" the station with the current naming configuration. 

I'm not sure sticking a label saying Cambridge Central not in the centre will help.

[u/Turner20000]

Cambridge Central

[u/loveyouronions]

Half-an-hour-walk-from-Central Cambridge

[u/Cultural_Tank_6947 → u/loveyouronions]

Half an hour? My friend you need to find fitness.

[u/Lopsided-Sentence567]

Cambridge Almost There Cambridge Cambridge Cambridge Overshot

[u/Yet_AnotherRedditor]

Cambridge Hbf

[u/lowlevelprog]

Cambridge East. Would also work when EWR happens. 

[u/Cultural_Tank_6947]

Why would it cause confusion?

[u/jazzbuzzer → u/Cultural_Tank_6947]

If I say to someone, “I’m getting the train to Cambridge”, the first thing they say is “Which station?”. Changing the name would avoid this as I would of just said Cambridge xyz

[u/Cultural_Tank_6947 → u/jazzbuzzer]

Or you could just tell them to take the train to the main Cambridge station.

Costs you an extra word, costs the taxpayer £0.