Jamrud Railway Station: The sorrow state of a once beautiful train depot
The unique British-made railroad terminal has been gathering rust since 2006
PESHAWAR:
When the elevated metre-gauge railway line of Jamrud Railway Station running along the Khyber Pass was built between 1901 and 1925, it was declared ‘lifeline of connectivity’ between the rest of India and Afghanistan.
More than 100 years old now, the 52km-long Peshawar to Landi Kotal railway track has fallen from grace from its glory days. It is now worn out and has been lying abandoned since 2006 when lawlessness was at its peak.
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This stretch of steel used to trundle through 34 tunnels and 250 bridges, but most of the bridges have now vanished away due to the floods in 2010.
Still, it has a splendid historical value.
“Such historical railway infrastructure would have been declared world heritage if it had existed somewhere outside the country, but here it is gathering rust,” says Khalid Mehmood, the political agent of Khyber Agency.
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“It is an archaeological jewel that should be protected,” believes the political agent, who conducted the first survey of the archaeological sites of the agency.
Historical account
Lying along the historical Khyber Pass, it was constructed by the British government for their strategic interests in the region.
Dr Ali Jan, a conservationist and historian told The Express Tribune that it was William Andrew, Chairman of the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railways, who for the first time suggested in 1857 to extend railway service to Khyber Pass to counter Russian influence in Afghanistan.
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In 1883, after the 2nd Anglo-Afghan war, he added, the British engineers constructed the iron girder bridge in Attock and North Western Railway was extended from Rawalpindi to Peshawar. In 1901, the broad gauge was extended from Peshawar Railway Station to Jamrud Railway Station, the entry point to Khyber Agency.
Jan said that after the Anglo-Russian Convention in 1907, the notion of any impending threat was diluted and the project to extend the railway further than Jamrud was shelved. But following the third Afghan War in 1919, Colonel Gordon R Hearn (later Sir), determined to turn the impossible into the possible, planned the extension of the track further.
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On November 3, 1925, the railway line up to Landi Kotal Railway Station was completed and on April 23, 1926, it was extended further till Landi Khana Railway Station at the Afghan border. In 1926, tracks were laid up to the border post, but not used. “The section to Landi Khana station was closed on December 15, 1932, following the request by Afghanistan and has never been used again,” said Jan.
The British government constructed the Shagai Fort and Ali Masjid Fort as well as different security posts for the protection of the vital link and the caravans.
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A Special Khasadar Force was raised from within the sub-sections of tribes living along the railway line on quota basis and each sub-tribe had taken the responsibility for its safety in its territory.
The first train was steaming up its tracks in 1925 and would run twice a week.
According to Jan, Sir Charles Innes, on behalf of the Viceroy Clement Hindley, opened it formally. It is recounted that Victory Belay, a British engineer, asked his wife to drive the first train through the Khyber Pass, in view of the traditional respect for women shown by the tribal people.
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Though it is still an important link between the two countries, after the creation of Pakistan, only a safari train ran the tracks.
“It was perhaps the only train that traversed a runway of Peshawar airport,” said Jan. “The train had to wait for the go-ahead signal from the air traffic control, when it was time to cross the runway.”
The unique steam-hauled train was powered by two vintage steam engines (HGS-2-8-0s) nicknamed the ‘Black Beauties’. The engines numbered 2216 and 2306 were built in Britain in 1913 by Kingston & Co and Valcon Foundry and are also more than a century-old now.
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The old railway station building is in a dilapidated condition, but still worth seeing. There are also three other reversing stations on this section named Madanak, Changai and Tora Tega, but are closed now.
The 34 tunnels are symbols of excellence of British engineering.
According to the salient features displayed on the signboard at Jamrud Railway Station, the longest among these tunnels is Tunnel No 15, which is 1,540 feet long with a seven-degree curve. While two other tunnels – numbers 4 and 5 – stand right over Tunnel No 3, which is a 1,340 feet long curved tunnel.
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Urging the government to take notice of the once beautiful landmark, Jan said that the land around the railway lines should be developed into a park or a cycling track for the residents of the town on the same pattern as the High Line Park in New York.
“This road and the related historical sites deserve to be placed on record as a landmark in the history of roads,” said Jan, adding, “There is a need to operationalise the vintage engines on alternative routes of Peshawar and Attock Khurd and in the future to Landi Kotal, so that history may be preserved.”
When the elevated metre-gauge railway line of Jamrud Railway Station running along the Khyber Pass was built between 1901 and 1925, it was declared ‘lifeline of connectivity’ between the rest of India and Afghanistan.
More than 100 years old now, the 52km-long Peshawar to Landi Kotal railway track has fallen from grace from its glory days. It is now worn out and has been lying abandoned since 2006 when lawlessness was at its peak.
Railway station becomes centre of chaos, frustration
This stretch of steel used to trundle through 34 tunnels and 250 bridges, but most of the bridges have now vanished away due to the floods in 2010.
Still, it has a splendid historical value.
“Such historical railway infrastructure would have been declared world heritage if it had existed somewhere outside the country, but here it is gathering rust,” says Khalid Mehmood, the political agent of Khyber Agency.
Golra Railway Station: Steeped in history
“It is an archaeological jewel that should be protected,” believes the political agent, who conducted the first survey of the archaeological sites of the agency.
Historical account
Lying along the historical Khyber Pass, it was constructed by the British government for their strategic interests in the region.
Dr Ali Jan, a conservationist and historian told The Express Tribune that it was William Andrew, Chairman of the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railways, who for the first time suggested in 1857 to extend railway service to Khyber Pass to counter Russian influence in Afghanistan.
Withering away: Once bustling, DG Khan railway station wears a deserted look
In 1883, after the 2nd Anglo-Afghan war, he added, the British engineers constructed the iron girder bridge in Attock and North Western Railway was extended from Rawalpindi to Peshawar. In 1901, the broad gauge was extended from Peshawar Railway Station to Jamrud Railway Station, the entry point to Khyber Agency.
Jan said that after the Anglo-Russian Convention in 1907, the notion of any impending threat was diluted and the project to extend the railway further than Jamrud was shelved. But following the third Afghan War in 1919, Colonel Gordon R Hearn (later Sir), determined to turn the impossible into the possible, planned the extension of the track further.
Pakistan Railways to renovate 31 more stations
On November 3, 1925, the railway line up to Landi Kotal Railway Station was completed and on April 23, 1926, it was extended further till Landi Khana Railway Station at the Afghan border. In 1926, tracks were laid up to the border post, but not used. “The section to Landi Khana station was closed on December 15, 1932, following the request by Afghanistan and has never been used again,” said Jan.
The British government constructed the Shagai Fort and Ali Masjid Fort as well as different security posts for the protection of the vital link and the caravans.
Karachi railway station: On the right track
A Special Khasadar Force was raised from within the sub-sections of tribes living along the railway line on quota basis and each sub-tribe had taken the responsibility for its safety in its territory.
The first train was steaming up its tracks in 1925 and would run twice a week.
According to Jan, Sir Charles Innes, on behalf of the Viceroy Clement Hindley, opened it formally. It is recounted that Victory Belay, a British engineer, asked his wife to drive the first train through the Khyber Pass, in view of the traditional respect for women shown by the tribal people.
Woman 'marries' train station she's loved for 36 years and 'has sex with mentally'
Though it is still an important link between the two countries, after the creation of Pakistan, only a safari train ran the tracks.
“It was perhaps the only train that traversed a runway of Peshawar airport,” said Jan. “The train had to wait for the go-ahead signal from the air traffic control, when it was time to cross the runway.”
The unique steam-hauled train was powered by two vintage steam engines (HGS-2-8-0s) nicknamed the ‘Black Beauties’. The engines numbered 2216 and 2306 were built in Britain in 1913 by Kingston & Co and Valcon Foundry and are also more than a century-old now.
Railways to develop green corridor
The old railway station building is in a dilapidated condition, but still worth seeing. There are also three other reversing stations on this section named Madanak, Changai and Tora Tega, but are closed now.
The 34 tunnels are symbols of excellence of British engineering.
According to the salient features displayed on the signboard at Jamrud Railway Station, the longest among these tunnels is Tunnel No 15, which is 1,540 feet long with a seven-degree curve. While two other tunnels – numbers 4 and 5 – stand right over Tunnel No 3, which is a 1,340 feet long curved tunnel.
Pakistan Railways Azadi Train comes to Sindh
Urging the government to take notice of the once beautiful landmark, Jan said that the land around the railway lines should be developed into a park or a cycling track for the residents of the town on the same pattern as the High Line Park in New York.
“This road and the related historical sites deserve to be placed on record as a landmark in the history of roads,” said Jan, adding, “There is a need to operationalise the vintage engines on alternative routes of Peshawar and Attock Khurd and in the future to Landi Kotal, so that history may be preserved.”