Ayodhya Junction is now Ayodhya Dham Junction: How are the names of Railway Stations changed?

With tremendous preparations for the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony underway in Ayodhya, the Ministry of Railways has now issued an order to change the name of the Ayodhya Junction railway station to the Ayodhya Dham Junction. The term "Dham" is a Hindi word meaning the "divine abode", signifying the divine abode of Lord Rama.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is keen to make a change in the name of the railway station to Ayodhya Dham Station and the desire was expressed at an inspection. The decision was thus made. The inauguration of the Ram Temple will be held on January 22, and it is on the very same day, that PM Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the freshly reconstructed railway station, the Ayodhya Dham Railway Station.

Now, the big question is, why are the names of railway stations changed? Furthermore, how are the names of railway stations changed in India? What could be the procedure? Here are all the doubts clarified.

Firstly, why are the names of railway stations changed?

Changing the names of a railway station is not merely a random decision. In fact, it has a robust reason behind it.

The names of railway stations are changed by the state governments in order to safeguard the historical heritage of that place.  In some cases, the names of stations are changed for political reasons. Sometimes, the names of stations are also changed because the locals demand it.

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Changing the name of a railway station in India- the procedure

While many believe that the decision is taken up by the Indian Railways, it is actually the state government that is responsible for making the decision to change the name of a railway station. It is only the state government that is entirely entitled to make a decision in this matter if it wishes to.

In case the state wishes to make changes in the name of a particular railway station, the very first process involves the state government sending its proposal to the nodal ministries, thereby seeking their approval. Not to miss, prior to granting this approval, consultation with the Ministry of Railways is also taken.

The next step involves obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Survey of India, and the Department of Posts. This is obtained once it is checked that there does not exist any other railway station with the proposed name in India.

In order to understand these steps, one needs to dig deeper.

First things first, the state government does all the required procedures. Once that is done, the Indian Railways is notified by the state government about the proposal to change the name of a specific railway station. For operational purposes, the "code" of the railway station is identified. This very code is then made a part of the ticketing system.

Finally, aspects like the platform signage, the nameplate, the communication materials, and more are updated at the station. 

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Writing the name of the station- Which language is chosen?

The Indian Railways Works Manual sets the guidelines for writing the name of the station. At present, the name of a station is written mandatorily in three languages, viz., English, Hindi, and the local language of that state. However, earlier, only English and Hindi were the mediums used to write the names of the railway stations.

Station names on signboards- the spelling, the order

Are the names of the railway stations written randomly on the signboards? Certainly not. Paragraph 424 of the Indian Railways Works Manual states that the state government's approval for the spelling of the names in English, Hindi, and the local language is a mandate before writing the names on the signboards.

Also, there is a strict order of writing the names. As per the specifications, the name of the station in the regional language comes first, followed by the name written in Hindi and lastly in English.

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Examples of railway stations in India adapting to new names

Recently, in the year 2022, a railway station in Jhansi was renamed "Veerangana Laxmi Bai, Jhansi" station.

Earlier, in the year 2021, the "Habibganj station" in Bhopal got a new name, i.e. the "Rani Kamalapati". The reason behind the decision was to honor the bravery and valor of Rani Kamalapati.

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