When the British developed the Khewra salt mines in 1872 – the oldest and second largest mines in the world – they also made plans to connect the mines to the main railway track.

In the following years, a track was laid down and a railway station was established in Khewra.

On Aug 15, 1887, a track from Chalisa Junction to the salt mines was opened, followed by a branch from Khewra to the neighbouring Dandot village on Aug 1, 1889.

With the establishment of the Khewra railway track, transportation from the mines was made easy and locals of the area now had a more convenient mode of travel.

For over a century, the historic Khewra Railway Station and nearby stations – including Garibwal, Haranpur and Chalisa – remained busy due to the salt mines, a plant of Imperial Chemical Industries set up in 1939 and coal mining.

But with the decline of Pakistan Railways in the 1990s, many railway stations were shut down across the country, including those in the Rawalpindi Division. Khewra Railway Station and its track were also deserted in the late 90s after the number of trains going there reduced.

The station has been completely non-operational for the last eight years. It is looked after by Station Master Khizer Hayat, who is actually posted in the nearby Gharibwal station but also has the additional responsibility of looking after the Khewra station.

Two class-four employees are also serving at the station, but since 2010, not a single passenger has arrived or left from the station. The quarters for employees have been abandoned and station land has been encroached on.

However, the station is still open in the documents of Pakistan Railways which, according to a railway official, is because the station has potential and officers will have a hard time justifying its closure.

Officials said the potential came from the salt produced in the mines, which can be transported to all corners of the country by train.

According to the Pakistan Minerals Development Corporation, the average production of salt in Khewra mines is 450,000 tons annually and production was recorded at 493,000 tons for the financial year 2015-16.

“The transportation of salt has suffered due to the unannounced closure of the rail service in Khewra as the salt is now being transported through trailers and trucks,” said the chief mining engineer at Khewra salt mines, Chaudhry Irfan Ahmed.

Transportation on trailers and trucks is a difficult task and it also destroys roads, he said.

On the other hand, Hamid Qureshi, the transport officer of Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Division, says good trains can be restored to the Khewra station.

“We have not closed the station officially as it has the potential of being made functional again,” he said. The establishment of another cement factory has also increased the chances of the station’s restoration.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2018