Whistling and puffing of railway engines, banging of buffers and crowds of passengers can be seen in the small railway station of Chaklala on daily basis.

The railway station was once away from the main city of Rawalpindi but now it serves both Rawalpindi and Islamabad as its is located at the centre of the twin cities and passengers prefer to land here instead of the Rawalpindi Railway Station to avoid the rush there.

Constructed in 1879, the building of Chaklala Railway Station is still serving the purpose while some modifications have been made. The British laid railway tracks in northern parts of the Indian subcontinent in 1870s in and Rawalpindi was connected with the main line.

Chaklala was then a forest area and supplied wood to other parts of the country through freight trains from this station. It also served passengers travelling between small villages around the garrison city.

The tiny village of Chaklala was not noticeable in the past but after establishment of the railway station and settling of British army units in around the jungle area it became prominent. The area around the railway station is the colony of armed forces personnel like Gracy Lines.

The railway station is small but the oldest and it also served as the dry port till 2006 when it was shifted to the Margalla Railway Station in Islamabad.

The building of Chaklala station is small and constructed with traditional grey sandstone blocks with colonial architectural touch, having beautiful serene, green environment with shadowy trees creating classical atmosphere for a tourist to go back to history.

Steel stairs of a pedestrian bridge connecting the platforms, an old clock, bell, parking shed made of wood for tongas and kerosene-lit lamps of signals at the platform are telling the glorious past of the railways. The bell is still ringing announcing the arrival and departure of trains.

In 2006, there was a plan during the tenure of then president Pervez Musharraf to launch a metro train between Rawalpindi and Islamabad and the train’s route was suggested to start from Chaklala Railway Station and run to Margallah to cater to passengers landing on the old airport.

The old airport was located a kilometre away from the railway station. However, the plan was dropped due to absence of a separate line between Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Pakistan Railways Divisional Superintendent Nooruddin Dawar told Dawn that the Chaklala Railway Station was over a century old and a big attraction for tourists due to its building and scenic view.

“We have preserved the old furniture and machinery of the railways here.” He said that the station was renovated but without changing its old style. He said there was the old tonga station shed made with wood which is still preserved.

He said 26 trains passed by the railway station daily making it one of busiest stations in the region. He said old lights and signal system were also intact. He said the divisional railway administration was striving to preserve the old stations in the region like Golra and Taxila.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2024