Diachronic analysis of the names of railway stations and stops in south-eastern Poland

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to present the names of railway stations and stops, both old and non-existent, as well as those which are modern and functioning. A relevant part of the text is also the presentation of productive naming models for train stopping points. The research material was excerpted from the historical network train timetables, published until 2012, as well as from the online train timetable available on the PKP (Polish State Railways) website. These sources contain the names of stations and stops on selected railway lines in the following provinces: Lubelskie, Małopolskie, Podkarpackie and Świętokrzyskie. The methodology used is based on the classification of train stopping points, developed by Piotr Tomasik, as well as on additional division criteria, taking into account the structure of historical and non-existing names. The most frequently used nomination practice is the transfer of the name of the locality to the name of the train stopping point, as evidenced by such proper names as: Przemyśl, Rzeszów and Zagórze. However, the necessity to create a unique name of a railway stop or station often requires adding various elements that specify the location. In this way, names such as Chmielów koło Tarnobrzega, Kraków Płaszów, Rzeszów Osiedle or Tarnów Zachodni are created. The former names of train stopping points were also based on the transfer of the name of a part of a town, e.g. a housing estate, hamlet or district where a stop was located, e.g. Osiedle P.Z.L. w Rzeszowie or Ozet w Stalowej Woli. A separate naming category is the names of railway stations which were created as a result of foreign-language influences. The article is a contribution to further research on the nomenclature of railway stations and stops in diachronic terms on other railway lines in Poland.