Wadala Or Vadala? Central Railway Accepts Mistake After Commuter Spots Error In Mumbai Station Name
Central Railway responded to the post on X and advised the concerned department to change the incorrect name.
A recently renovated suburban railway station in Mumbai has become the subject of a social media debate over its spelling. A post on X (formerly Twitter) has highlighted the mix-up between signboards at the station, which comes under the Central Railway’s Mumbai division.
A journalist showed two photos of the same railway station, with one reading “Wadala Road” and the other “Vadala Road.” The account tagged the Railway Ministry and the Central Railway about the error, and asked, “Is this a serious mistake, or is there another reason for the difference? If it is a mistake, who is responsible ? If it's not a mistake, then why is it written with a 'W' in one place and a 'V' in another?”
The official X account of Mumbai Division - Central Railway took note of the matter and asked the Senior Divisional Engineer, Coordination of the department, to look into it. A post by the department revealed that the correct spelling was Vadala.
“Yellow board name is correct. Please advise the ele department for the blue board name for correction,” the clarification read.
While the clarification did clear up the mystery, it did not stop social media users from poking fun at the error. “This confusion has been existential for some time,” a person wrote.
Another user wrote about a similar confusion at another station. “Same for bhayander / bhainder,” a post read.
One account had a justification for the spelling. “Indians do not pronounce the w. We pronounce it as v so Vadala is actually the way we pronounce it. And it should be Divali, not Diwali,” the comment read.
The confusion was not over for some commuters. “Wadala has been the name I have seen past 40 years, Vadala seems to be an anglicised version of the same,” an individual responded.
“It's always been Wadala. Whoever painted the yellow board effed up,” one person complained.
The station at the centre of the debate was among the 103 revamped Amrit Bharat railway stations inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 22. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims to develop over 1,300 railway stations into new-age transit points.
The redeveloped stations will help integrate modern infrastructure with sustainable practices, cultural practices and passenger-centric amenities.
