Lahore Junction railway station

Lahore Junction Railway Station (Urdu, Punjabi: لاہور جنکشن ریلوے اسٹیشن), is the main railway station in Lahore, Pakistan. It is among the oldest railway stations of the Indian subcontinent. Construction commenced shortly after the 1857 War of Independence.[1] It was built in the style of a medieval fort with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for the defence of the structure.[2]

Lahore Junction Railway Station

لاہور جنکشن ریلوے اسٹیشن
Lahore Junction Station Entrance
General information
LocationEmpress Road
(Shahrah-e-Abdul Hameed bin Badees) Lahore-54000
Pakistan
Coordinates31°34′38″N 74°20′11″E / 31.5772°N 74.3363°E / 31.5772; 74.3363
Owned byMinistry of Railways
Line(s)
Platforms11
ConnectionsLocal Transit LTC (B-5)
Local Transit PMTA (FR-1, FR-3, FR-9)
Subway interchange Lahore Metro (Lahore Station)
Construction
Structure typeStandard (on ground station)
Platform levels2
ParkingCar parking Available
Bicycle facilitiesAvailable
AccessibleDisabled access Available

Computerized Ticketing Counters Luggage Checking System Parking Disabled Access Food Plaza Kiosks WC Taxi Stand Public Transportation Metro interchange

Mosque
Other information
StatusFunctional
Station codeLHR
Fare zonePakistan Railways Lahore Zone
History
Opened1860; 164 years ago (1860)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesGuru Amar Das Railway Station
Services
Preceding station Pakistan Railways Following station
Lahore Cantonment
towards Kiamari
Karachi–Peshawar Line Badami Bagh
Terminus Lahore–Wagah Branch Line Moghalpura Junction
towards Wagah
Location
Lahore Junction Station is located in Lahore
Lahore Junction Station
Lahore Junction Station
Location within Lahore
Lahore Junction Station is located in Pakistan
Lahore Junction Station
Lahore Junction Station
Lahore Junction Station (Pakistan)
Map

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, and also serves as its headquarters.

History

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The station's design is highly militarised, having been constructed in the immediate aftermath of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.

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 and 1860.[3]

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 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 and later would serve as the northern terminus of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, which connected the port city of Karachi to Lahore. The nearby Dai Anga Mosque 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, with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for the defence of the structure.[4]

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,[5] Lahore's Hindus and Sikhs were sometimes attacked at Lahore's train station.

 
Inside the Station
 
Lahore Junction Station view from top
 
Lahore Junction Station inner view
 
Lahore Junction Station outer wall

Facilities

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Lahore Junction Station is equipped with all basic facilities such as ticketing services, washrooms and waiting areas. 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 2 , 4 and 5.

Overview

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The Lahore railway station is located at an elevation of 213 metres (764 ft) and was assigned the code "LHR". With this, it has become the busiest railway station of Pakistan in terms of passenger movement and train traffic. Lahore railway station has free WiFi and CCTV cameras.

Services

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These trains serve Lahore Junction station:

Up Destination Train Train Name Train Down Destination
Karachi Cantt 1 Up Khyber Mail Express 2 Dn Peshawar Cantt
Karachi Cantt 5 Up Green Line Express 6 Dn Islamabad
Karachi Cantt 7 Up Tezgam Express 8 Dn Rawalpindi
Karachi Cantt 9 Up Allama Iqbal Express 10 Dn Sialkot
Karachi Cantt 13 Up Awam Express 14 Dn Peshawar Cantt
Karachi Cantt 15 Up Karachi Express 16 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Quetta 23 Up Akbar Express 24 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Karachi Cantt 27 Up Shalimar Express 28 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Karachi Cantt 31 Up Jinnah Express 32 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Karachi Cantt 33 Up Pak Business Express 34 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Karachi City 37 Up Fareed Express 38 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Quetta 39 Up Jaffer Express 40 Dn Peshawar Cantt
Karachi Cantt 41 Up Karakorum Express 42 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Karachi Cantt 43 Up Shah Hussain Express 44 Dn (Lahore Junction)
(Lahore Junction) 101 Up Subak Raftar Express 102 Dn Rawalpindi
(Lahore Junction) 103 Up Subak Kharam Express 104 Dn Rawalpindi
(Lahore Junction) 105 Up Rawal Express 106 Dn Rawalpindi
(Lahore Junction) 107 Up Islamabad Express 108 Dn Rawalpindi
Faisalabad 111 Up Badar Express 112 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Faisalabad 113 Up Ghouri Express 114 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Multan 115 Up Musa Pak Express 116 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Multan 117 Up Multan Express 118 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Faisalabad 119 Up Faisal Express 120 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Shorkot Cantt 121 Up Ravi Express 122 Dn (Lahore Junction)
Sargodha 123 Up Sargodha Express 124 Dn (Lahore Junction)
(Lahore Junction) 125 Up Lasani Express 126 Dn Sialkot
Mari Indus 147 Up Mianwali Express 148 Dn (Lahore Junction)
(Lahore Junction) 205 Up Babu Passenger 206 Dn Wazirabad
Shorkot Cantt 207 Up Waris Shah Passenger 208 Dn (Lahore Junction)
(Lahore Junction) 209 Up Faiz Ahmed Faiz Passenger 210 Dn Narowal
(Lahore Junction) 211 Up Narowal Passenger 212 Dn Narowal
Attari 401 Up Samjhota Express 402 Dn (Lahore Junction)

Other Services

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Pakistan Railways is headquartered in Lahore. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation for commuters and connects distant parts of the country with Lahore for business, sightseeing, pilgrimage, and education. The Lahore railway station, built during the British colonial era, is located in the heart of the city and serves as the major entry and exit point of the city. Other railway stations within Lahore include:

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway - FIBIwiki". wiki.fibis.org. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  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 cannon fire along the main avenues of approach from the city
  3. ^ "Lahore Railway Station: A Look into the Past". Youlin Magazine.
  4. ^ 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 cannon fire along the main avenues of approach from the city
  5. ^ "International Rail Connections". irfca. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
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