comment 'station' as a word essentially means 'a fixed point' i'm not sure of the exact definition in the past but it pre dates railways by several centuries 'battle stations' as a term dates back some considerable way and naval vessels in their correct patrol areas were said to be 'on station' in nelson's time i believe it is derived from a latin word meaning 'still' i e 'stationary' 'railway station' as a term goes back at least as far as while 'train station' was not recorded for over a century after that nor were 'petrol station' 'power station' or 'bus station' one important consideration is how widespread a term is is it a 'railway station' in australia india south africa or any other country where the british built the railways finally the term 'train' may be incorrect when referring to modern passenger railway vehicles under some definitions trains are exclusively loco hauled or push pull most modern passenger vehicles are multiple units and thus not 'trains' under these definitions because there is no locomotive