Naming stations needs logic and some thought

Pic/Satej Shinde

What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet' go the Shakespearean lines. But apparently, there is a lot to a name, especially if you are a Mumbai Metro commuter.

The names of three stations on the Metro Yellow Line 2A - which runs along the New Link Road from Dahisar East to DN Nagar - have been formally changed following public consultations. Passengers had said they find some of the names confusing, after which the Pahadi Eksar station was renamed Shimpoli, while the names of Valnai and Pahadi Goregaon stations were changed to Valnai-Meeth Chowky and Bangur Nagar, respectively, as reported by mid-day.

As per an official note, the revised station names shall be used in future.

Also Read: Mumbai: Three Metro Line 2A stations get new names

Meanwhile, commuters are still terming other station names as ‘absurd', but three names have been changed and that is a start.

Infrastructure needs a holistic visionary approach. It is not enough to simply complete a project and get it up and running. There has to be thought and time invested in commuter convenience for a transport facility like this one. So many aspects have to be taken into consideration, with the primary one being ease of navigation. This includes the physical layout, ticket counters, ease of reaching different points in the facility, announcements and the name.

Keeping vague names is befuddling and extremely irksome for those using the Metro service.

The public already has to contend with name changes of railway stations, waiting for signage to be updated or changed. We want names that can be easily identified and are recognisable by the public, having an immediate association with the area. Thoughtless naming leads to a bewildered and frustrated citizenry trying to guess where exactly that station lies… truly an avoidable name quiz game.