Baghdad Central Station is the main
train station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...
in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. It links the rail network to the south and the north of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. The station was built by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
to designs by J. M. Wilson, a Scot who had been an assistant to Lutyens in New Delhi and who subsequently set up a practice of his own in Baghdad. Construction started in 1948 and finished in 1953. The station is the biggest one in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
History
The train station was originally built by the British and it was considered as the "Jewel of Baghdad" for daily travellers. The station offered telegraph services, it had also a bank, a post office, a saloon, shopping areas and a restaurant. The station even had an office with printing presses which are still printing the train tickets.
After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, thieves snatched the station's furniture, lighting fixtures and even bathroom plumbing.
Renovations
A $5.9 million renovation began in 2004 and was completed in June 2006. The renovation included all-new power plant and air conditioning system. The electrical, water, and sewer lines were replaced. The restaurant was rehabilitated and the roof, the windows and the plaster walls were replaced. All clocks were replaced and connected to one new central system. Also, the broken mosaic floor tiles were replaced.
A new entrance was constructed. Two new seven passenger elevators, new bathrooms and a hotel with 13 rooms were added along with a new fire alarm and sprinkler system
Gallery
Baghdad Train Station 1959.jpg, Baghdad Central Station, 1959
Baghdad Central Station.jpg, Inside of the Station, 2010
File:المبنى الخارجي لمحطة القطار العالمية.jpg, Main entrance, 2012
See also
*
Iraqi Republic Railways
Iraqi Republic Railways Company (IRR; ar, الشركة العامة لسكك الحديد العراقية) is the national railway operator in Iraq.
Network
IRR comprises of . IRR has one international interchange, with Chemins de Fer Syrien ...
*
Railway stations in Iraq
Railway stations in Iraq include:
Towns served
Existing
* Baghdad Central Station
* Al Maqal Railway Station in Basra
----
* Bayji
* Al Hadithah – junction
* Al Qaim
* Akashat – railhead in west
Under construction
* Khanaqin- K ...
*
Baghdad Metro
The Baghdad Metro is a proposed rapid transit in the form of an elevated railway, network for the Iraqi city of Baghdad. Construction is expected to start around Q2 2022 and finish in 2027.
Background Commuter rail service
The Baghdad commuter ...
References
External links
Ministry of Transportation - General Company for Iraqi Railways''In pictures: The crown jewel of Iraq's railway'' - BBC News, 28 November 2016
{{commonscat, Baghdad Railway Station
Transport in Baghdad
Railway stations in Iraq
Buildings and structures in Baghdad
1953 establishments in Iraq
Railway stations opened in 1953