Tristán White wrote:

What do you think of the petition by Brick Lane residents and shop and
restaurant owners to get Aldgate East renamed "Brick Lane" to boost the
area. Having lost Shoreditch station, they're getting a bit of a rum deal
at the moment.

I've always been rather sceptical of the idea that Shoreditch is/was the
best station for Brick Lane. Personally I've always found Aldgate East to be
the most useful. I guess if you were travelling from south of Whitechapel
and Shoreditch was open then it might be useful, but Aldgate East comes out
at a better place for walking Brick Lane properly.

Do they have much of a hope?

When was the last time a tube station was renamed for something other than
an external redefinition (e.g. "Heathrow Central" - "Heathrow Terminals 1,
2 & 3") or typographical simplicity (can't think of a tube, though on NR
"Boxhill & Westhumble" is now "Box Hill & Westhumble" in line with the hill
in question)? And who would pay for it all?

Also is interchange at street level currently permitted between the
Aldgates? (If not it would be bloody useful - there are times when it seems
quicker to do this than wait for an H&C train.) Changing the name could
cause confusion.

And what about the rest of the area Aldgate East serves? I can't see "Brick
Lane" taking off as a name for that part of London, although is "Aldgate" or
"Aldgate East" widely used in any formal or informal sense? (London
Metropolitan University calls the old London Guildhall end of things the
"London City" campus.)