Railway station versus train station

[locojoe]

Telegraph.co.uk > Telegraph Blogs > UK Correspondents > Christopher Howse


Railway station versus train station

When did we started saying train station instead of railway station.
"I'm sitting in the railway station," sang Paul Simon, inspired, some say by Widnes. Others say he was waiting at the now disused Ditton station, on the Cheshire-Lancashire border.

And if it comes to that, the photograph for the sleeve for Some Might Say, Oasis's first No 1, was taken at Cromford railway station, Derbyshire.


But this is not quite the point at issue. On train station versus railway station, a friendly internet dictionary [http://www.wordreference.com] gives railway station as the English for gare, but also gives train stop. It gives estacion de ferrocarril for both railway station and railroad station.

Railroad station used to be common in Britain, as anyone who has read Trollope knows. It is never used now in British English, but train station is definitely becoming the preferred form over railway station.

Why should this be? British Railways was the name of the network after nationalisation in 1948. In 1968 the name was changed to British Rail. The arrowed logo was retained for National Rail (the brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies) after privatisation in 1993. The tracks were run first by Railtrack, which was effectively confiscated from its shareholders by the Government in 2002,

All these names seem to privilege rail above train. But if you want to look up in the book the telephone number for timetable enquiries, you'll find it under "Train Times". I suspect that train station is reinforced by the parallel form bus station. Some towns have even got the idea of building one near the other for ease of travel. Others still reject this arrangement in favour of a character-building walk.

A complicating factor is onboard announcements of the next station stop. Bookshops suffer a perennial confusion over Robert Byron's book about monastic life in Greece called The Station. It is often shelved under transport.

[swisstrains]

I can remember the days when you only had to say "station" and everyone knew what you meant. There was no need to say railway or train. Only places like fire stations, bus stations and coastguard stations required a description

[DSY011]

From a personal point of view it has always been a Railway Station and I have never used train station, railroad station or train stop. This could well be because it was always a Railway Station back in Rhodesia and I'm just an Old Git who refuses to change, but I will not call it anything other than a Railway Station unless of cause it is a Halt or Junction.

[Bubblewrap]

Originally Posted by swisstrains

I can remember the days when you only had to say "station" and everyone knew what you meant. There was no need to say railway or train. Only fire stations, bus stations and coastguard stations required a description

Wot no police?

[swisstrains]

Originally Posted by Bubblewrap

Wot no police?

Fancy forgetting that one.......It just goes to show how law abiding I am....it just never crossed my mind

[bramleyman]

When I say station, I always mean it as being the Railway Station and nothing else, unless specified.

[boilersuit]

In my work as a professional editor, I always amend "train station" to "railway station" in any work where I come across it. But then I'm a bit of an old git myself.

[richard thompson]

I am in favour of railway station as a term, though if you are talking about travel most people you know are going to know if you mean bus, coach or railway station. Train station is american i think!
Richard

[Bubblewrap]

Play station?

[Gandalf]

When we can afford it we catch the Train at a Station on the Railway. Trying to work out how to get a station on a train unless it is the Bar.
John (G)