The station is named after the Tamil freedom fighter
Vanchinathan and was the site of assassination of the British Collector,
Robert Ashe. Today the station is a significant station in the Madurai railway division of the Southern Railway Zone, one of the six divisions established within the
Southern Railway zone others being Chennai, Tiruchchirappalli, Salem, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. A notification regarding a change in name has been issued by Southern Railway on 26-10-1988 == Location and layout ==