'Wadala' or 'Vadala'?: Name Confusion at Renovated Mumbai Station Sparks Online Debate; Central Railway Responds

A spelling dispute on social media has centred around a newly refurbished suburban railway station in Mumbai. The confusion between the signboards at the station, which is part of the Central Railway's Mumbai division, was brought to light via a post on X (previously Twitter). An X user displayed two images of the same train station, one of which stated "Wadala Road" and the other "Vadala Road." Regarding the inaccuracy, the account tagged the Central Railway and the Railway Ministry and enquired, “Vadala or Wadala — which is correct? 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? @Central_Railway
@RailMinIndia”

Vadala or Wadala — which is correct? 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? @Central_Railway@RailMinIndiapic.twitter.com/fTJRQxN84H

— Kamal Mishra (@Yourskamalk) May 23, 2025

The Mumbai Division's Central Railway official X account noted the issue and requested that the Senior Divisional Engineer, Department Coordination, investigate it. According to a department post, Vadala is the proper spelling. It replied, “Yellow board name is correct. Please advise the ele department for the blue board name for correction.”

Yellow board name is correct. Please advise ele department for blue board name for correction

— srdencomumbaicr (@srdencomumbaicr) May 23, 2025

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Though the officials quickly responded to the query, Internet users did joke about the situation. A user wrote, “Seems two separate contractors who didn't wanted to talk to each other.” Another user wrote, “This confusion has been existential for some time.” The third user commented, “Is this mistake going to activate any nuclear missile that it's such an important earthshaker question?” A fourth user commented, “Same for bhayander / bhainder.”

Though the authorities stated that the right spelling is Vadala many X users said it was Wadala. A user commented, “It's always been Wadala. Whoever painted the yellow board effed up.” Another user wrote, “Wadala has been the name I have seen past 40 years, Vadala seems to be anglisized version of the same.” A third user commented, “We grew up in WADALA, BOMBAY! The sinister plot/move by the government is so evident even the blind can see, but their bhakts.  Railways is just another arm to promote their agenda.”

On May 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 103 renovated Amrit Bharat railway stations, including the one at the core of the controversy. The goal of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is to transform more than 1,300 railway stations into cutting-edge transit hubs. Modern infrastructure, sustainable practices, cultural customs, and passenger-focused facilities will all be incorporated into the renovated stations.