Terminal.
Oops…that doesn’t convey very much nextosity, does it?
Does ‘ultimate’ imply ‘next’?
‘Next’ and ‘final’ just seem too different to me. Like a word meaning ‘round’ and ‘green.’ Though I wish there was one.
We have . .
‘The next station/stop is . . .where this train terminates. All change please’
On the local train system, the announcer actually says ‘The next station stop’ word for word though, which I don’t understand, why ‘station’ and ‘stop’?
I often wonder if they are reading from a script which gives them the choice of ‘station/stop’ but they just read it as written who knows.
Anyway, final and next? well as already said Ultimate would work or Terminal but they don’t really imply the next ‘part’.
I think I agree with Shade.
You can stop not at a station and not stop at a station, so both are necessary to be completely unambiguous.
I don’t think so. ‘Ultimate’ does imply final or terminal, but not next. In fact, I think ultimate is often used to imply that there are several steps between the point of utterance and whatever ultimate refers to. (e.g. The ultimate goal of this board is to do away with ignorance but we’ll first have to get more people on-line, establish intervention programs to de-bunk urban ledgends, and do something about the whole “-gry” question.)
I think ‘next’ anchors a noun in a series however, it cannot specify an external location in that series. Thus I agree with you that ‘next’ and ‘final’ (which does specify an external location) are two completly differnt seamntic entities. Off the top of my head I can’t think of a word that blends these two concepts or if we can even do this in English. However, it’s safe to say that within 5 min or so someone will come along to prove me wrong.
Plus, if you say “ultimate”, people will think it means the coolest, awesome, etc.
“Penn Station is the ultimate stop. It beats the pants off of Hauppauge and Smithtown.”
Well it definitely beats the pants off Hauppauge which doesn’t even merit a stop! 
Interestingly, though there’s no word that means both “next” and “final,” there’s a word that means both “previous” and “final.”
Daniel
Fine. Patchogue. Happy? 
OK, since I don’t have time to think right now, what is it? And why do I KNOW that I’m going to feel stupid when I find out?
And here I was thinking my last post in this thread would be my last post in this thread.
Daniel
How 'bout “…and lastly…”
DanielWithrow, tell me dammit! This is the last time I’m asking!
I suppose “last” and “final” imply “previous” when used to describe something that happened in the past.
How about ‘…the only remaining stop is…’
Concluding?
Good one, Daniel
Got it yet, Jackknifed?
*paraphrased quote
[hijack]
Guy gets on the Chicago-South Bend-Indianapolis train. Tells the Steward: “Look, I’m gonna take a nap, but I don’t want to miss my stop in South Bend. Please make sure you wake me up so I get off the train in South Bend.” Steward says “Will do.”
A few hours later the train stops in Indianapolis. All the passengers get off, and the Guy, seeing that he’s in Indianapolis and not South Bend, gets furious and punches the Steward in the nose.
Another passenger, witnessing this, is aghast. He says, “Boy, that fellow sure was in a mood!” Steward says, “You think he was bad, you should have seen that guy we threw off in South Bend!”
:: rimshot ::
[/hijack]
I think Hauppauge (how the **** do you pronounce that BTW) sounds like a pretty happening place. Sounds like the name of an ancient Icelandic ritual involving lots of alcohol and confused sheep.
Her real name is Emma Clarke.