PESHAWAR: Built in around 1920s, the historic railway station in Landi Kotal subdivision of Khyber Agency has 28 rooms, a ticket office and two security towers.

The chiseled stone-made spacious railway station had started functioning on November 4, 1925 on regular basis. The deserted railway station currently houses officials of agriculture and civil defence departments and local Khasadar Force, with rooms mostly not in good condition.

Gul Afzal Afridi, a security guard posted at the gate of the historic railway station, told this scribe that no renovation work in the building had been carried out since long causing damage to the old structure.

According to historical accounts, the railway station had been used as main and final destination for the train journey from Karachi to Khyber Pass since Landikhana, a small last railway track point near Torkham, had been closed in 1932.

The chiselled stone-made spacious building in Landi Kotal currently houses officials of agriculture, civil defence and Khasadar Force

“On April 3, 1926, the railway track was extended to Landikhana, just three kilometres from the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan. In 1932, Landi Kotal to Landikhana section of railway was closed down at the insistence of Afghan government,” said one document.

Mr Afridi said that till a few years, the railway station was well-maintained but when the railway authorities stopped its train service in 2007 due to security reasons and also owing to flashfloods, which had caused serious damage to railway track at several places from Jamrud to Landi Kotal, little attention was given to the impressive building of the British era.

“Still almost every day, tourists from parts of the country visit this building and take down notes about the wonderful history of railway through the rugged mountains of Khyber Pass,” he said.

Sadaqat Jan, 50, a local resident once a travel guide, said that the historic railway station was quite busy from 1925 to 1982 as large number of foreign and local tourists used to travel on the steam engine train.

He said that the train took passengers from the Peshawar cantonment railway station through rugged mountainous terrain reaching a height of 1,200 metres to reach Landi Kotal by covering a total distance of 52 kilometres through 34 tunnels and 92 bridges and culverts. For tourists, it was used to be a wonderful experience,” he recalled.

Mr Jan said that such historic structures could be tapped as visitor’s spot and should be restored to their original position.

He said that re-launch of train after rebuilding the damaged railway track would help to flourish business activities in the area. He said that local tourism could be boosted if such old sites were restored and opened to people.

An official of Pakistan Railways on the condition of anonymity said that his department had been thinking over different

steps for rebuilding not only the damaged railway track but also re-launch of the train service.

He said that condition of the Landi Kotal railway station was not bad where railway personnel had been deputed for its proper look after. “It is indeed a historic railway asset and no one could damage it,” he added.

The official said that Landi Kotal main railway station was one of the around 13 stations on the route of Khyber Pass. “Adequate funds and favourable peace conditions are the prerequisites for execution the ambitious railway service plan. We can hope for the better,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2017