Lahore Junction railway station

Lahore Junction Station
لاہور جنکشن ریلوے اسٹیشن‬
Lahore Junction Station Entrance
Location Empress Road
Lahore, Punjab 54000
Coordinates 31°34′38″N 74°20′11″E / 31.5772°N 74.3363°E / 31.5772; 74.3363Coordinates: 31°34′38″N 74°20′11″E / 31.5772°N 74.3363°E / 31.5772; 74.3363
Owned by Ministry of Railways
Line(s) Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line
Lahore–Wagah Branch Line
Platforms 11
Tracks 11
Connections LTC (B-5)
PMTA (FR-1, FR-3, FR-9)
Subway interchange Lahore Metro (Lahore Station)
Construction
Structure type Standard
Other information
Station code LHR[1]
History
Opened 1860
Services
Preceding station   Lahore Junction railway station   Following station
Lahore Cantonment   Line
Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line		   Badami Bagh
Terminus   Line
Lahore–Wagah Branch Line		   Moghalpura Junction
Location
Lahore Junction Station
Location within Lahore
Lahore Junction Station
Lahore Junction Station (Punjab, Pakistan)
Lahore Junction Station
Lahore Junction Station (Pakistan)

Lahore Junction railway station (Urdu, Punjabi: لاہور جنکشن ریلوے اسٹیشن‬) is the main railway station in Lahore, Pakistan. Construction commenced shortly after the failed Mutiny of 1857 against British rule, and so was built in the style of a medieval castle with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for defence of the structure.[2] The station is now owned by Pakistan Railways, and also serves as its headquarters.

History

The station's design is highly militarised, having been constructed in the immediate aftermath of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.
Inside the Station
Lahore Junction Station view from top
Lahore Junction Station inner view
Lahore Junction Station outer wall

The station was built during the colonial era, and was built just outside the Walled City at the intersection of Empress Road, Allama Iqbal Road and Circular Road. Lahore Junction station was constructed by Mian Mohammad Sultan Chughtai, a former official of the Mughal Empire, between 1859-1860.

The station served as the headquarters for the Punjab Railway and later would serve as the northern terminus of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, which connected the port city of Karachi to Lahore. It was built in the style of a medieval castle to ward off any potential future uprisings, as seen in the 1857 War of Independence, with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for defense of the structure.[3]

The station is a legacy of the extensive railway network established during the British Raj, and reflects the British contribution to the region's infrastructure. The station was severely affected during the riots which followed the Partition of the British Indian Empire and the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Similar to the contemporaneous situation of Muslims fleeing Delhi and Amritsar, Lahore's Hindus and Sikhs were sometimes attacked at Lahore's train station.

Facilities

Lahore Junction Station is equipped with all basic facilities such as ticketing services, restrooms, waiting areas, and international fast food chains. The station has current and advance reservation offices for Pakistan Railways, as well as freight and parcel facilities. Retail shops are found mainly on platforms 1 and 2, including restaurants such as Pizza Hut and McDonald's, in addition to restaurants offering Pakistani cuisine.

Services

The following trains originate/stop/terminate at Lahore Junction station:

Preceding station   Pakistan Railways   Following station
toward Quetta
Akbar ExpressTerminus
Allama Iqbal Express
Awam Express
TerminusBadar Express
toward Faisalabad
toward Karachi City
Fareed ExpressTerminus
TerminusGhouri Express
toward Faisalabad
toward Quetta
Jaffar Express
Karachi ExpressTerminus
toward Karachi City
Karakoram ExpressTerminus
Khyber Mail
Night Coach ExpressTerminus
TerminusRawal Express
toward Rawalpindi
TerminusPakistan Express
toward Rawalpindi
Shalimar ExpressTerminus
TerminusSubak Kharam Express
toward Rawalpindi
TerminusSubak Raftar Express
toward Rawalpindi
Tezgam
toward Rawalpindi

See also

References

  1. ↑ Official Web Site of Pakistan Railways
  2. ↑ Glover, William (January 2007). Making Lahore Modern, Constructing and Imagining a Colonial City. Univ of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-5022-4. The Lahore station, built during a time when securing British civilians and troops against a future "native" uprising was foremost in the government's mind, fortified medieval castle, complete with turrets and crenellated towers, battered flanking walls, and loopholes for directing rifle and canon fire along the main avenues of approach from the city
  3. ↑ Glover, William (January 2007). Making Lahore Modern, Constructing and Imagining a Colonial City. Univ Of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0816650224. The Lahore station, built during a time when securing British civilians and troops against a future “native” uprising was foremost in the government’s mind, fortified medieval castle, complete with turrets and crenellated towers, battered flanking walls, and loopholes for directing rifle and canon fire along the main avenues of approach from the city
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.