Trivia: Stations where passengers headed for a completely different destination end up on a regular basis

[Kite159]

I’m confused. Surely the only trains from Ramsgate to London Victoria are those which go via Faversham. Not aware of any Maidstone Line trains that extend to Ramsgate.

Hourly Ramsgate - London Victoria via Maidstone service

Realtime Trains | Departures from Ramsgate all day on 27/04/2022

Train information at Ramsgate all day on 27/04/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Covid related timetable change which had those which previously terminated at Canterbury West extend to Ramsgate meaning the Charing Cross - Ramsgate via Canterbury service terminates at Ashford (when they run)

 

[Thebaz]

A late friend of mine managed to go to the wrong Rainham (the Kent one) when we were working at the other one (the Essex one). This though was probably more likely due to her not properly researching where she was supposed to be rather than any ticketing miscommunication!

 

[Matt_pool]

Now because so may people get lost due to poor signposting there are posters up at Abbey Road saying something to the effect of “lol, you didn’t come to Abbey Road in the hope that it would be where the world famous Abbey Road studios and zebra crossing would be did you? Guess who just wasted an hour of their lives.”

There was a story about that on the BBC News website several years ago. And there have also been instances of American tourists turning up at Liverpool Street station and asking for directions to Penny Lane, Strawberry Field etc.

 

[Ediswan]

(b) wanted to go to Wokingham, but were sold tickets to Woking

That happened to me once, but I noticed at the time. Cue much muttering from the member of staff. This was some time ago. They had to repeat the process of looking up the fare in a book, then hand writing a new ticket.

 

[geoffk]

I heard a story, maybe apocryphal, about a passenger from the Midlands or north of England ringing National Rail Enquiries about trains to St. Andrews in Scotland and was given train times for St. Andrews Road. Only when the caller was told to change at Bristol was the misunderstanding realised.

 

[class ep-09]

I’ve known a few instances of people boarding trains at London Waterloo, wanting Fareham, ending up on a train towards Farnham (or vice versa). Both are generally intermediate stations on trains otherwise bound for Portsmouth or Alton respectively. It’s not so bad if they or the Guard notice before the train reaches Woking as they can change there, but ending up at or closer to Fareham creates a bit of a trek back to get to Farnham.

Another railway legend is passengers ending up at Alton, Hampshire, asking for directions to Alton Towers some 150+ miles away. Not experienced it myself though!

Similarly instead of Shepton ( Mallet ) ended up in Shepperton . The former has no railway station but I came across an offender on leave , who needed to get back to prison in Shepton Mallet, on time otherwise facing penalty .

 

[Taunton]

DLR, but for some reason about ten years ago when they built the Stratford extension for the Olympics somebody thought it would be a good idea to give a station in West Ham the same name as a major landmark and tourist attraction in St John’s Wood.

Now because so may people get lost due to poor signposting there are posters up at Abbey Road saying something to the effect of “lol, you didn’t come to Abbey Road in the hope that it would be where the world famous Abbey Road studios and zebra crossing would be did you? Guess who just wasted an hour of their lives.”

The posters at Abbey Road DLR were there on opening day, so before any history of blunders. It was a good laugh by the DLR team, which has stuck. The posters (a couple of different ones) are classics in their own right, with several puns on Beatles' song names.

I know from personal experience that people wanting Edgware Road often end up in Edgware.

American visitor to our office did exactly this. Another American had given instructions to meet in a restaurant, just calling the address Edgware rather than Edgware Road. I got involved as it unfolded, and the easiest resolution was to tell him to get a black cab from the Edgware station rank, and later write an explanation for the (substantial) expenses claim.

Another longstanding issue is Burnham. Everyone in Taunton knows it as a place near Highbridge, and even calls Highbridge station that, but on the Western Region it's a station near Slough. One parcel (remember those?) sent from Taunton was more explicit to overcome this, and written as Burnham-on-S to avoid confusion, alas with a slightly wobbly S - it ended up a couple of days later at Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. The Somerset station used to be called Highbridge for Burnham, but has now retreated to just Highbridge.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If and when Thorpe Park station opens near Leeds, it wouldn't surprise me to see the occasional tourist there asking where the roller-coasters are.

 

[Class800]

If and when Thorpe Park station opens near Leeds, it wouldn't surprise me to see the occasional tourist there asking where the roller-coasters are.

The Pacers went a while ago - otherwise they were fairly like roller-coasters!

 

[BeijingDave]

Must have been a few over the years that have boarded a train, at Norwich, for London Liverpool Street and ended up heading off towards Liverpool Lime Street.

It has been suggested many times that Liverpool Street should be renamed Bishopsgate, which is not entirely objectionable.

I imagine rugby league supporters along the M62 corridor have been sold tickets to Swinton (Yorkshire) when they intended to go to Swinton (Greater Manchester).

 

[matchmaker]

Charing Cross in both London and Glasgow.

 

[BeijingDave]

Charing Cross in both London and Glasgow.

I wonder in what circumstances that could possibly have happened though. Seems highly unlikely.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Must have been a few over the years that have boarded a train, at Norwich, for London Liverpool Street and ended up heading off towards Liverpool Lime Street.

And the solution the railway came up with to prevent this was, in typical industry fashion, way more long-winded than it needed to be...
Liverpool Lime Street became "Lime Street (Liverpool)" so that London Liverpool Street could still be displayed as "Liverpool Street" on the screens. The more sensible solution would be to display as "LONDON Liverpool Street", and "LIVERPOOL Lime Street".

The place name should always take precedence over the station name.

 

[Gloster]

I don’t know if anyone has actually gone to the wrong place, but there was sometimes confusion between Lymington and Leamington.

And has anyone ever gone to the wrong St James’ Park and found themselves watching the wrong team? Or the Changing of the Guard?

 

[A S Leib]

You'd like to think that they wouldn't get too far. Ely, maybe?

Does have all the hallmarks of possibly being a railway myth, to be fair.

A few might prefer using Great Northern / Thameslink / LNER though, particularly if they want that part of London or Thameslink anyway; to Liverpool Street leaving at 16:00's 1 hour 58 minutes and getting the 15:48 and changing at Ely and Cambridge means getting to King's Cross at 18:03.

 

[Western Sunset]

London Road - was it Brighton or Guildford you wanted Sir?

Less likely would be Reedham (Purley) and Reedham (Norfolk).

 

[Taunton]

Not so much of an issue now it's moved to better-known Stratford, but visiting football supporters to the West Ham ground used to alight at the so-named station on the District Line so much that policemen had to be stationed there on key match days to put them back on another two stops to Upton Park, where the ground used to be.

 

[Kite159]

If and when Thorpe Park station opens near Leeds, it wouldn't surprise me to see the occasional tourist there asking where the roller-coasters are.

Probably the same as Alton when people arrive there thinking it's near Alton Towers

 

[faltskog36abba]

I would presume that Manchester Leeds Liverpool passengers who don't travel often, Have arrived at Victoria/ When they wanted Piccadilly. My partner got the [Leeds via Bradford] service to Victoria once- Thinking this was the main line into Manchester.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I would presume that Manchester Leeds Liverpool passengers who don't travel often, Have arrived at Victoria/ When they wanted Piccadilly. My partner got the [Leeds via Bradford] service to Victoria once- Thinking this was the main line into Manchester.

I suspect similarly that a lot of people turn up wishing to go to Watford Jn and get on the train that says that...only to find it takes an hour. At least they do get to the correct destination, I suppose; I'm of the view that false destinations would cause more issues.

Same deal if going to Milton Keynes Central, where to get there quickly you don't want to board any train with that destination, as that'll be the stopper.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I imagine rugby league supporters along the M62 corridor have been sold tickets to Swinton (Yorkshire) when they intended to go to Swinton (Greater Manchester).

Maybe 30 years ago, but anyone now wanting to watch Swinton Lions RLFC and travelling by tram/train needs to get a ticket to Brooklands (Zones 3 and/or 4) on the Manchester Metrolink system.

 

[AM9]

Also works the other way. I know of people being sold a ticket to Nottingham when they asked for Cottingham, ...

Or they could have got Mottinham in SE London

 

[simonw]

I wonder if anyone at St Pancras has ever gotten confused between Loughborough from platforms 1-4 and Loughborough Junction from platform A? One being somewhat more out of the way if mixed up than the other...!


Something that's always intrigued me though is that it does have a Station Road! Presumably a historic naming as it heads out of town towards Woking.

There were plans for a line from Woking to Cobham, hence the name of the road. The railway was never built, although a station was established at Cobham.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

Wonder how many people ended up in Exeter when they wanted to go to the St Davids in West Wales, which happens to be the only UK city to have never had a train station.

You could even confuse Norwich (the Norfolk city we all know and love) with Northwich (Cheshire) pretty easily, or even Horwich Parkway (Lancs/GM).

How about an unlucky Scouser getting stranded up some remote town in Cumbria cos they got Kirkby Stephen instead of the Kirkby in Merseyside?

Imagine some unfortunate Home Counties commuter who wanted to get to Hertford but ended up a tad bit too far west through the Cotswolds into Hereford or worse, they wanted a quick hop to Harlow that slowly turned into an epic voyage to the far-flung fringes of Wales cos they got Harlech by mistake!

How about some drunk Londoner wanted to go Bow Road but accidentally ends up on the edge of Wales cos they said Bow Street instead, which happens to be that new station just a few miles shy of Aberystwyth.

Don't get me started on the hodgepodge of places scattered across the country called Newport, whether it be the city in South Wales, the village in Essex, or the towns in Shropshire and the Isle of Wight which lack railway stations, and I bet there'll be even more dotted in all sorts of random obscure places!

God help us if some poor soul got Truro (Cornwall) and Thurso (Scotland) mixed up, cos that's a hefty trek between literal opposite sides of the country!

And the solution the railway came up with to prevent this was, in typical industry fashion, way more long-winded than it needed to be...
Liverpool Lime Street became "Lime Street (Liverpool)" so that London Liverpool Street could still be displayed as "Liverpool Street" on the screens. The more sensible solution would be to display as "LONDON Liverpool Street", and "LIVERPOOL Lime Street".

The place name should always take precedence over the station name.

Just imagine how much worse it would be if Liverpools terminus was called "Liverpool London Street"

Or they could have got Mottinham in SE London

Blimey, didn't expect that many places to rhyme with Nottingham would make another good trivia topic, stations in different places that rhyme with each other!

 

[Gloster]

Wonder how many people ended up in Exeter when they wanted to go to the St Davids in West Wales, which happens to be the only UK city to have never had a train station.

I heard a story (on one of Mark Steel’s programmes, I think) about a couple who turned up at the Tourist Office in St David’s (Pembrokeshire) asking where the shopping centre was. The St David’s Shopping Centre is...in Cardiff

 

[Rail Ranger]

Not unknown for people to arrive at Castleton station south of Rochdale and to ask for directions to the Blue John Mines (in Castleton (near Hope) Derbyshire).

 

[Ayman Ilham]

Wonder how many people ended up in Exeter when they wanted to go to the St Davids in West Wales, which happens to be the only UK city to have never had a train station.

I heard a story (on one of Mark Steel’s programmes, I think) about a couple who turned up at the Tourist Office in St David’s (Pembrokeshire) asking where the shopping centre was. The St David’s Shopping Centre is...in Cardiff

I think I've heard about that one; would love to know the full story!

Not unknown for people to arrive at Castleton station south of Rochdale and to ask for directions to the Blue John Mines (in Castleton (near Hope) Derbyshire).

Better than whatever poor Cockney geezer gets catapulted across Wales because they said Bow STREET instead of Bow ROAD

 

[Rail Ranger]

Bury (when it had a BR station) and Bury St Edmunds? Waterloo London and Waterloo Merseyside (probably less likely). Welshpool used to be called Pool but was renamed to avoid confusion with Poole in Dorset. Newport was only station name to have totems in all six BR regional colours. Appleby (Lincs) when it had a station and Appleby Westmorland/Cumbria.

 

[magpiespy]

At Chorley station in the late 1980s, I was once sold a ticket to Formby after asking for a ticket to Thornaby.

 

[Maude673]

Although not disastrous when visiting us in Glasgow my in-laws have mistakenly got trains to Pollokshaws east, Pollokshaws west, Pollokshields east and Pollokshields west.