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If you were to pick a dozen likely stops on this train, you'll likely end up with a name collision. Vancouver, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. It's fun to think about how they would handle this. Would they use the full names in all documentation. Would they give one of the locations a nickname, such as "Southern Washington" or "British Columbia".

I also wonder what would be the largest mishap that could happen because of the name collision. Imagine going to the wrong country because of some minor miscommunication!




Amtrak Cascades literally has this problem today. Idiots like myself occasionally buy the wrong ticket and end up having to bus home instead. Took a floatplane to BC planning to take the train back, whoops the ticket is for Vancouver, WA.


My favorite name collision is Ontario, CA (city, state) and Ontario, CA (province, country).


The Ontario’s are funny. I often get something shipped and think it’s close at hand for southern Ontario, only to be disappointed when I realize it’s in California and it’ll be a few days before it even hits the border.

Saint John NB and St John’s NL is one I find endlessly funny. On paper it should not be a collision, and even out loud it really isn’t one, yet I know multiple people who have independently flown to the wrong one.


If you book flights to Sydney on Concur, you are given a choice between two places called "Sydney NS". One NS is Nova Scotia, Canada, the other is New South Wales, Australia, and they're about as far away as is possible on this globe.


I had a friend from Ontario tell me she was going to school in London. That was confusing initially.


I moved to Canada, and whenever I tell a Canadian my sister lives in London, I basically always have to add "in the U.K." just as they ask about London, ON.


Then she met her Waterloo.


I’m reminded of an ad in a thick Jersey accent:

“Here’s your non-refundable ticket to Auckland.”

“You mean Oakland.”

“That’s right, Auckland, New Zealand.”


They already have Newark NJ and Newark DE on the northeast corridor.




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