In the ticketing system of the British rail network, tickets are normally issued to and from individual stations. In some instances, when there is more than one station in a town or other locality—especially where these are on different routes—it may be desirable for passengers to be able to travel to one station and back from another, or more generally to be able to choose which of the stations they wish to travel to. To accommodate this requirement, British Rail introduced a series of station groups: notional "common locations" to which tickets from stations outside that group would be issued.
For example, Penge in South London has two stations: Penge East and Penge West. The former is served by trains from London Victoria to Orpington; the latter is on the route from London Bridge to West Croydon. For a traveller arriving at, for example, a London terminal station and intending to go to Penge, it makes little difference which route is chosen. Both stations are close together and serve the same area. Therefore, a ticket issued specifically to one of the Penge stations would be unduly restrictive—it would remove the opportunity to travel by a choice of equally convenient routes. A notional "Penge group" solves this problem: a ticket issued in this way would be interavailable.[1]
The concept is explained in the National Fares Manuals (NFMs) issued approximately three times per year by the British Railways Board (and, since privatisation, by the Association of Train Operating Companies) to stations, Rail Appointed Travel Agents and other ticket issuing authorities: "Fares for certain ... cities and towns are shown to and from a notional common station[.] All fares are quoted and all tickets should be issued to and from [these notional group] stations except for local journeys between two stations in the same group. Tickets issued to and from these [notional group] stations are valid to or from any of their associated stations, subject to normal route availability."[2]
These "locations" had to be shown in a standard, easily identifiable way on tickets. The method chosen by the British Railways Board was as follows:
Each station group was also allocated its own National Location Code (NLC)—a four-digit code used for accounting and to attribute revenue to locations on the railway network. Most station group codes were between 0250 and 0500. This NLC appeared on PORTIS/SPORTIS tickets, which by convention always showed the "origin" and "destination" NLCs as well as the code of the issuing point; but tickets from the APTIS system and its replacements always showed the NLC of the actual station of issue, even where a ticket was issued from a "station group" (except for some short-lived anomalies).[3] [4]
After privatisation, the designation "BR" was no longer appropriate, although having been in use for more than 10 years it had become a convenient shorthand device for referring to the station groups concept in general (for example, National Fares Manuals continued to use the term "BR Stations").[2] A new designation had to be created which still took up little space on a ticket (location names are restricted to 16 characters on most ticket issuing systems)[5] and which still conveyed a notion of interavailability.
The solution, introduced gradually from November 1997 and uploaded to all ticket issuing systems by January 1998, was for BR to be changed to STNS or STATIONS as appropriate:
There were some deviations from this standard:
Additionally, the London group is treated as a special case. It was created in April 1970 by BR's Southern Region as a grouping of their nine terminal stations named LONDON S.R., before being expanded in May 1983 to include all BR terminals under the name LONDON BR, and then LONDON BRIT RAIL from January 1989 until 1997. Rather than receiving the standard new name of LONDON STATIONS it was referred to simply as LONDON before becoming LONDON TERMINALS in April 1998, even though four of the eighteen stations included in the group are not technically termini.
, 38 station groups (including the London group) are known to exist.[9] The table shows the NLC allocated to each group, the pre- and post-privatisation renderings of the group name, and the stations included within it.
| Current Name | Former Name | NLC | Stations Included | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEDFORD STATIONS | BEDFORD BR | 0410 | Bedford, Bedford St Johns | ||
| BICESTER NTH/VIL | — | 7934 | Bicester North, Bicester Village | The most recently created group, dating from 28 July 2015 | [10] |
| BIRMINGHAM STNS | BIRMINGHAM BR | 0418 | Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham Snow Hill | Birmingham Snow Hill was included from January 1988 following the reopening of the station. | [11] |
| BOOTLE STATIONS | — | 1780 | Bootle New Strand, Bootle Oriel Road | Introduced 26 September 1999. | [12] |
| BRADFORD YK STNS | BRADFORD YKS BR | 0424 | Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange | ||
| CANTERBURY STNS | CANTERBURY BR | 0428 | Canterbury East, Canterbury West | ||
| CATFORD STATIONS | CATFORD BR | 0258 | Catford, Catford Bridge | ||
| COLCHESTER STNS | COLCHESTER BR | 0254 | Colchester, Colchester Town | Introduced in May 1991. | [13] |
| CROYDON STATIONS | CROYDON BR | 0449 | East Croydon, West Croydon | Tickets are valid to and from South Croydon as well, but tickets issued at South Croydon show that name. | |
| DORCHESTER STNS | DORCHESTER BR | 0429 | Dorchester South, Dorchester West | ||
| DORKING STATIONS | DORKING BR | 0416 | Dorking, Dorking Deepdene, Dorking West | ||
| EDENBRIDGE STNS | EDENBRIDGE BR | 0259 | Edenbridge, Edenbridge Town | ||
| ENFIELD STATIONS | ENFIELD BR | 0263 | Enfield Chase, Enfield Town | Enfield Lock has never been included. | |
| FALKIRK STATIONS | FALKIRK BR | 0431 | Falkirk Grahamston, Falkirk High | ||
| FARNBOROUGH STNS | FARNBOROUGH BR | 0260 | Farnborough (Main), Farnborough North | ||
| FOLKESTONE STNS | FOLKESTONE BR | 0432 | Folkestone Central, Folkestone West | Folkestone Harbour was included until closure in 2001. | |
| GAINSBOROUGH | GAINSBOROUGH BR | 0415 | Gainsborough Central, Gainsborough Lea Road | ||
| GLASGOW CEN/QST | GLASGOW BR | 0433 | Glasgow Central, Glasgow Queen Street | Occasionally seen as GLASGOW STATIONS in 1998; officially renamed GLASGOW CEN/QST from 27 September 1998. | [14] |
| HELENSBURGH STNS | HELENSBURGH BR | 0404 | Helensburgh Central, Helensburgh Upper | ||
| HERTFORD STNS | HERTFORD BR | 0413 | Hertford East, Hertford North | ||
| LIVERPOOL STNS | LIVERPOOL BR | 0435 | Liverpool Central, Liverpool James Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Moorfields | ||
| LONDON TERMINALS | LONDON BR | 1072 | Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, City Thameslink, Euston, Fenchurch Street, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Marylebone, Moorgate, Old Street, Paddington, St Pancras, Vauxhall, Victoria, Waterloo, Waterloo East | ||
| LONDON THAMESLINK | — | 4452 | Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Euston, London Bridge, St Pancras, Farringdon, Kentish Town, Elephant & Castle[15] | ||
| MAIDSTONE STNS | MAIDSTONE BR | 0437 | Maidstone Barracks, Maidstone East, Maidstone West | ||
| MANCHESTER STNS | MANCHESTER BR | 0438 | Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria | Deansgate and Salford Central were included in the group until January 1989. By 2005, Deansgate was included again. MANCHESTER CTLZ includes the same stations and also Manchester Metrolink Central Zone tram stations. | [16] [17] |
| NEWARK STATIONS | NEWARK BR | 0441 | Newark Castle, Newark North Gate | ||
| PENGE STATIONS | PENGE BR | 0262 | Penge East, Penge West | ||
| PONTEFRACT STNS | PONTEFRACT BR | 0268 | Pontefract Baghill, Pontefract Monkhill | Pontefract Tanshelf was included in the group from September 1997, but by 2005 was no longer included. | [18] [19] |
| PORTSMOUTH STNS | PORTSMOUTH BR | 0440 | Portsmouth & Southsea, Portsmouth Harbour | Fratton was included in the group until October 1988. | [20] |
| READING STATIONS | READING BR | 0403 | Reading, Reading West | Tilehurst was included in the group until October 1988. | |
| SOUTHEND STNS | SOUTHEND BR | 0411 | Southend Central, Southend Victoria | Southend East is no longer included in this group. | |
| THORNE STATIONS | THORNE BR | 0271 | Thorne North, Thorne South | ||
| TILBURY STATIONS | TILBURY BR | 7468 | Tilbury Riverside, Tilbury Town | Introduced in January 1993. East Tilbury has never been included. Tilbury Riverside closed to rail services in 1993, but c2c provide a minibus service between Tilbury Town and the former station to provide a connection with the ferry to Gravesend. | |
| TYNDRUM STATIONS | TYNDRUM BR | 0443 | Tyndrum Lower, Upper Tyndrum | [21] | |
| WAKEFIELD STNS | WAKEFIELD BR | 0444 | Wakefield Kirkgate, Wakefield Westgate | ||
| WARRINGTON STNS | WARRINGTON BR | 0445 | Warrington Bank Quay, Warrington Central | ||
| W HAMPSTEAD STNS | WEST HAMPSTD BR | 0265 | West Hampstead, West Hampstead Thameslink | ||
| WIGAN STATIONS | WIGAN BR | 0446 | Wigan North Western, Wigan Wallgate | ||
| WORCESTER STNS | WORCESTER BR | 0447 | Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill | Droitwich Spa was included in the group until October 1988. | |
The following table contains groups which have been used at some time between 1985 and the present, but which are not currently in use.
| Name | NLC | Active From | Withdrawn From | Stations Included | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARDROSSAN BR | 0423 | January 1989 | Ardrossan Harbour, Ardrossan South Beach, Ardrossan Town | Ardrossan Town reopened in 1987 and was included in the group from May 1988. | [22] | |
| BIRKENHEAD BR | 0266 | May 1994 | Birkenhead Central, Birkenhead Hamilton Square, Birkenhead Park | [23] | ||
| BLACKPOOL BR | 0426 | May 1994 | Blackpool North, Blackpool South | Blackpool Pleasure Beach was included in the group during the period of validity of NFM 39 (May 1988 to October 1988). | ||
| BRIGHTON BR | 0257 | January 1989 | Aldrington, Brighton, Hove, London Road (Brighton), Moulsecoomb, Preston Park | |||
| BRISTOL BR | 0400 | January 1989 | Bedminster, Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads, Filton, Keynsham, Lawrence Hill, Parson Street, Stapleton Road | "Filton" refers to the original Filton station, which was subsequently closed and replaced by Filton Abbey Wood nearby. | ||
| BURNLEY BR | 0427 | May 1994 | Burnley Barracks, Burnley Central, Burnley Manchester Road | Rose Grove was included in the group until January 1989. | ||
| CARDIFF BR | 0401 | January 1995 | Cardiff Bute Road, Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street | Cardiff Bute Road was subsequently renamed Cardiff Bay. Cathays was included in the group until January 1989. | [24] | |
| DOVER BR | 0414 | January 1995 | Dover Priory, Dover Western Docks | |||
| EDINBURGH BR | 0255 | Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket | ||||
| EXETER BR | 0430 | May 1992 | Exeter Central, Exeter St Davids, Exeter St Thomas | St James Park was included in the group until NFM 41 (January 1989). | [25] | |
| GREENOCK BR | 0434 | January 1989 | Greenock Central, Greenock West | |||
| GUILDFORD BR | 0256 | Guildford, London Road (Guildford) | ||||
| HAMILTON BR | 0405 | January 1989 | Hamilton Central, Hamilton West | |||
| HARTFORD BR | 0267 | Greenbank, Hartford | ||||
| HILLINGTON BR | 0406 | January 1989 | Hillington East, Hillington West | |||
| LICHFIELD BR | 0399 | May 1989 | September 1989 | Lichfield City, Lichfield Trent Valley | This grouping was introduced in NFM 42 (May 1989), but was withdrawn at the next fares change because of the difficulty in allocating revenue correctly between the InterCity and Regional Railways sectors. | [26] [27] |
| LINCOLN BR | May 1985 | Lincoln Central, Lincoln St. Marks | The group NLC is unknown. "Withdrawn from" date is the closure date of Lincoln St. Marks station. | |||
| LYMINGTON BR | 0436 | May 1989 | Lymington Pier, Lymington Town | |||
| NEWBURY BR | 0498 | Newbury, Newbury Racecourse | ||||
| NEWHAVEN BR | 0439 | October 1988 | Newhaven Harbour, Newhaven Marine, Newhaven Town | Newhaven Marine station was in limited use for ferry passengers only. | ||
| NEW MILLS BR | 0412 | New Mills Central, New Mills Newtown | ||||
| PLYMOUTH BR | 0402 | January 1989 | Devonport, Dockyard, Keyham, Plymouth, St Budeaux Ferry Road, St Budeaux Victoria Road | |||
| ROTHERHAM BR | 0270 | 11 May 1987 | 3 October 1988 | Rotherham Central, Rotherham Masborough | The dates are, respectively, the opening date of Rotherham Central and the closing date of Rotherham Masborough. | |
| RYDE BR | 0272 | May 1988 | January 1989 | Ryde Esplanade, Ryde St John's Road | Ryde Pier Head was not included. | |
| ST HELENS BR | 0264 | October 1988 | St Helens Junction, St Helens Shaw Street | St Helens Shaw Street was subsequently renamed St Helens Central. | ||
| STREATHAM BR | 0261 | January 1989 | Streatham, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill | |||
| TUNBDGE WELLS BR | 0442 | 6 July 1985 | Tunbridge Wells Central, Tunbridge Wells West | Tunbridge Wells Central was subsequently renamed Tunbridge Wells. "Withdrawn from" date is the closure date of Tunbridge Wells West station. | ||
| WORTHING BR | 0499 | East Worthing, West Worthing, Worthing | ||||
| WREXHAM BR | 0417 | May 1994 | Wrexham Central, Wrexham General | Sometimes shown as WREXHAM CLWYD BR. | ||
| YEOVIL BR | 0448 | Yeovil Junction, Yeovil Pen Mill | ||||
See main article: London station group.
The station group concept only applied to point-to-point travel tickets and tickets directly related to these, such as Season Tickets and Excess Tickets. Other types of ticket issued at a station within a group would show the name of the station itself - selected examples are:
Also, for a ticket issued for travel between one station in a group and another, the individual stations' names are shown. This only has practical relevance in situations where group stations are easily accessible from each other - for example, the Liverpool group, where all four stations can be reached directly from each of the others.
Station groupings are also used on transport networks in other countries, though not necessarily to the same extent as in the UK.
Tickets issued by Victorian regional train and coach operator V/Line for travel to Melbourne city are issued to the group MELBOURNE Z1+2, indicating Myki Zones 1 and 2, and therefore including all stations on the Melbourne suburban rail network as well as all bus and tram services within those zones.[28]
Rail tickets in Germany can be issued to station groups in many cities, referred to as German: Zielbahnhöfe mit tariflicher Gleichstellung (in effect, "destination stations with equal fares"), so long as the total travel distance for the ticket is greater than the threshold set for each city.[29] For example, the BERLIN group includes all main-line and S-Bahn stations on and within the Berlin Ringbahn, and has a threshold distance of 100km (100miles).[30]