a stopping place on a journey; "there is a stopover to change planes in Chicago"

a small railway station between the principal stations or a station where the train stops only on a signal

A small station or stopping place between two more important locations, used for refueling, provisioning, etc., on long journeys

Way Station is a 1963 science fiction novel by Clifford D. Simak, originally published as Here Gather the Stars in two parts in Galaxy Magazine in June and August of 1963.