User:Mangoe/Railroad line and station articles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a set of proposed guidelines for the content of articles about railway and subway (heavy rail) stations.

They are intended to avoid the creation of articles containing little information, where that information could better be presented in the context of existing articles.

They are not a standard of notability or a set of criteria for the deletion of existing articles.

Contents

[edit] Proposed guidelines

The following guidelines are proposed for articles on rail lines and railway stations:

[edit] Wikipedia is not a timetable

Articles should not simply replicate information from published timetables, nor should they repeat information (such as train times or service hours) which is subject to frequent change. Distinguish between stating, for example, that a station is served by a certain number of trains per hour, and specifying the times of those trains. The former is information about the significance of the station; the latter is timetable information.

[edit] Wikipedia is not a travel guide

Articles on stations should include information about their facilities and amenities, but this does not mean providing a listing of every ordinary or mundane facility. It is not notable to tell us that a station has toilets, but it may be to tell us that the station had/s Motorail facilities. If the station has a shopping centre attached, tell us this; there is no need to specify the shops.

[edit] Stations are in places and on lines

Articles about stations should be linked to articles about the places they are in (or serve) and the lines or systems they are part of. Where there is no article about a station, information can be presented in the article about the place and/or in the article about the relevant train line or company. Such articles should be linked, and, where possible, linked to the relevant section of the article.

[edit] Stations are more than just places trains stop

An article on a station should include information on any buildings, public art, or associated infrastructure. Ideally, there should be relevant images to illustrate these, and aspects of architectural notability should be included (e.g. the architect, listing on historic registers, unusual elements, etc.).

[edit] Use redirects

A redirect to a section of an article about a place (or about a train line or system) which presents information about a specific station may be more appropriate than an article about that station.

[edit] Include maps and diagrams

Articles on train systems and lines should include maps and diagrams. The former show the geography of a system or line; the latter indicate the relationship of different lines or stations.

[edit] Use tables to summarize lines

Where only basic information about related stations exist, considering presenting it as a table within a relevant article, rather than creating articles for each station.

[edit] Don't repeat information unnecessarily

If information is presented in an article on a line, it does not necessarily need to be repeated in an article about a station (or vice versa). Consider whether the information is appropriate to the station in particular, or the line in general, and place it accordingly. Links between articles should allow a reader to obtain all of the information.