Lahore Junction Railway Station (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, Pakistan. Construction commenced shortly after the

1857 War of Independence The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

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. It is located at the junction between Circular Road and Allama Iqbal Road and bounded on the north side by the old Grand Trunk Road. The station is now owned by

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...

, and also serves as its headquarters.

History

Black hole walk - Lahore Railway Station

The station was built during the colonial era, and was built just outside the

Walled City A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

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 The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, between 1859 and 1860. The station was also a witness to a brutal lathi charge in British era that took place on 30 October 1928 near the premises of the junction when Indian leader

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 - 17 November 1928) was an Indian author, freedom fighter, and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of ...

had led a protest march against the Simon Commission that had come to Lahore to discuss political reforms in the town. Rai was beaten by a wooden baton by the then Police Superintendent of Lahore and was badly wounded. Rai later died of his injuries on 17 November. The station served as the headquarters for the

Punjab Railway The Punjab Railway was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated during the British Raj between 1855 and 1885 in Punjab. History The Punjab Railway was established shortly after the ''Scinde Railway Act'' of Parliament in July 1855 ...

and later would serve as the northern terminus of the

Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway The Scinde, Punjab, Delhi Railway was formed in 1870 from the incorporation of the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla, Punjab Railway and Delhi Railway companies. This was covered by the ''Scinde Railway Company's Amalgamation Act'' of 186 ...

, which connected the port city of

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

to Lahore. The nearby

Dai Anga Mosque Dai Anga Mosque (Urdu: ) is a mosque situated to southeast of the Lahore Railway Station, in the city of Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab province. The mosque is said to have been built in 1635 in honour of the wetnurse of the Mughal Emperor Shah J ...

was also converted into offices for the railways at this time. The station was built in the style of a medieval castle to ward off any potential future uprisings, as seen in the

Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for defense of the structure. The station is a legacy of the extensive railway network established during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

, 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 Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

and Amritsar, Lahore's

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

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

, as well as freight and parcel facilities. Retail shops are found mainly on platforms 1 and 2, including restaurants such as

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert a ...

and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

, in addition to restaurants offering Pakistani cuisine.

Services

These trains serve Lahore Junction station:

Gallery

File:General View of Railway Station 1895.jpg, alt=Railway Station Lahore, File:Front View of Lahore Railway Station 2019.jpg, General View of Railway Station in June 2019 File:Lahore railway station1880s.JPG, Far view of Railway Station in 1880s File:Fortifications of Railway Station 1895.jpg, Fortifications of Railway Station 1895 by William Henry Jackson File:Lahore Railway Station in 1880s.jpg, Railway Station in 1880s File:Lahore Railway Station Interior View 1880s.jpg, Railway Station Interior View 1880s File:Train platform at Lahore Railway Station.jpg, Train platform at Lahore Railway Station File:Lahore - entrance to railway station LCCN2004707734.jpg, Lahore - entrance to railway station 1895 File:Lahore - interior of railway station LCCN2004707735.jpg, Lahore - interior of railway station 1895 File:Lahore - general view of railway station LCCN2004707732.jpg, Lahore - general view of railway station 1895

References

External links