Renaming of Stations

by Ajai Banerji, 2006

This material is from a presentation made by the author at the first IRFCA Convention at Pune, Feb. 26, 2006.

Also see Ajai Banerji's article on station code oddities. Other related pages include the FAQ page on stations and

Introduction

A large number of stations have been renamed in the last half-century or so. Here, we look at changes which have occurred since the 1930s. We concentrate on the changes in southern and western India, as they have seen more changes compared to the rest of the country.

Reasons for Change

In general, changes are made based on the requests from the state government. The Railways generally do not make changes on their own. Changes in names generally reflect the pronunciation in the local language which was not in the earlier spellings during British rule. Interestingly, there are some cases where the official name of the town has changed but the station name has not.

Andhra Pradesh
Old Name	New Name
Bezwada	Vijayawada
Chicacole Road	Srikakulam Road
Cocanada	Kakinada
Dronachellam	Dhone*
Gundrati Margoo	Gundratimadugu
Hyderabad MG	Kacheguda
Khammamett	Khammam
Kothapetta	Sirpur Kagaznagar
Masulipatnam	Machilipatnam
Oopal	Uppal
Waltair	Visakhapatnam

^* Reverting to its old name

Goa
Old Name	New Name
Collem	Kulem
Margao	Madgaon
Sanvordem Curchorem	Kudchade (Sanvordem)*

^* Station signboard changed, but timetable still shows the old name.

Gujarat
Old Name	New Name
Baroda	Vadodara
Broach	Bharuch
Bulsar	Valsad
Cambay	Khambhat
Goya Gate	Vishvamitri
Mohamedabad & Kaira Road	Mehemadabad & Kheda Road

Karnataka
Old Name	New Name
Bowringpet	Bangarapet
Closepet	Ramanagaram
French Rocks	Yeliyur
Telgi	Basavana Bagewadi Road

Kerala
Old Name	New Name
Ernakulam North*	Ernakulam Town
Ernakulam South*	Ernakulam Jn
Olavakkot	Palghat
Vettikatiri	Vallathol Nagar

^* No change in name of place, only the suffix for the station has changed.

Kerala - Stations Unchanged
(Towns that have changed names but where the station names have remained unchanged.)
Old Name	New Name
Alleppey	Alappuzha
Alwaye	Aluva
Badagara	Vadakara
Calicut	Kozhikode
Cannanore	Kannur
Cochin	Kochi
Quilon	Kollam
Shertallai	Cherthala
Tellicherry	Thalasseri
Trichur	Thrisshur
Trivandrum	Thiruvananthapuram

Maharashtra
Old Name	New Name
Bassein Road	Vasai Road
Bellasis Road	Mumbai Central(local)
Bombay	Mumbai
Bombay VT	Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai
Dhond	Daund
Dhulia	Dhule
Ellichpur	Achalpur
Erandol Road	Dondaiche?
Kirkee	Khadki
Kolhapur	Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus
Kolivada	Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar
Paunar	Seloo Road
Poona	Pune
Wardha East	Sevagram*
Sevagram*	Varud
Sholapur	Solapur
Shrirampur	Belapur

^* An interesting case of a double name change!

Maharashtra - Stations Unchanged
(Towns that have changed names but where the station names have remained unchanged.)
Old Name	New Name
Aurangabad	Shambhajinagar

Also see Ajai Banerji's article on station renaming.

Tamil Nadu
Old Name	New Name
Arkonam	Arakkonam
Chingleput	Chengalpattu
Coleroon	Kollidam
Conjeevaram	Kanchipuram
Cuddalore New Town	Tiruppadiripuliyur*
Dalmiapuram	Kallakudi Palanganatham
Jalarpet	Jolarpettai
Madras	Chennai
Madras Chetpat	Chetpet
Madras Park	Park
Madura	Madurai
Maniyachi	Vanchi Maniyachchi**
Manur	Manavur
Mayavaram	Mayiladuturai***
McDonald's Choultry	Magudan Chavadi
Ootacamund	Udhagamandalam
Point Calimere	Kodikkarai
Porto Novo	Parangipettai
Ramnad	Ramanathapuram
Shencottah	Sengottai
Tanjore	Thanjavur
Tinnevelly	Tirunelveli
Tranquebar	Tarangambadi
Trichnopoly	Tiruchchirapalli
Trivellore	Tiruvallur

^* In between, Tiruppapuliyur.

^** Named for a freedom fighter.

^*** In between, Mayuram.

Tamil Nadu - Stations Unchanged
(Towns that have changed names but where the station names have remained unchanged.)
Old Name	New Name
Tuticorin	Thootakudi

Renaming of Stations

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