THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To book a train ticket, it is mandatory that you need to enter the exact departure station and destination station. This is the long-practised norm in the Indian railway system. However, you need not enter the full name of stations but can opt for special codes provided by the Indian railways. (Example: Thiruvananthapuram Central- TVC). Recently two railway stations in Kerala were rechristened. Kochuveli and Nemom stations in Thiruvananthapuram city are now Thiruvananthapuram North and South respectively.

Along with the name, the code of these two stations has also changed. The old 'NEM' for Nemom has now become TVCS. Kochuveli which earlier had the 'KCVL' code is now TVCN. These codes are very important for booking tickets adn passengers can often end up confused. In August 2024, the central government changed the name of both railway stations considering the long-standing demand of the state. The State Transport Secretary wrote to the union home ministry demanding a name change in these two stations. With the maximum number of trains operating from Thiruvananthapuram Central, a decision was made to develop Kochuveli and Nemom as satellite terminals.

The rechristening of these two stations has also helped people outside Kerala, mostly migrant workers, to easily understand the location. Hitherto, most travellers from North India were not aware that Kochuveli station was within Thiruvananthapuram city.