Abdul Majeed, the engine driver, has been driving trains for about 40 years. “These are definitely better times,” he says, referring to the technological advancements that help him do his job.
Credit: http://www.dawn.com/news/1160704/arrival-and-departure-a-day-at-the-station
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
“Our body clocks revolve around train timings,” the station master says as he walks purposefully along Platform No. 3 of the Rawalpindi Railway Station. He keeps a brisk pace; he’s already behind schedule to greet a passenger train that is due at the station at any minute.
“My day starts at 2am when the Khyber Mail leaves for Karachi, and ends at half past midnight the next day, when I’ve seen the Rawal Express safely off to Lahore” he tells me.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
Rawalpindi Junction is one of the busiest railway stations in the country, and certainly one of the more striking ones. A beautiful building built in the colonial style, it has platforms that are scrubbed to a shine twice or thrice a day, friendly arches that lead out to the platforms and large clocks that welcome passengers to this bustling terminus. This station was built in 1881 by the British government to connect the Northwestern parts of India and Afghanistan with the rest of the subcontinent.
Train stations are usually bustling with life. Passengers waiting for trains; some leaving for other cities, some there to receive guests and loved ones; the long queues at ticket counters; burly security guards at the gates; the din of porters clamouring for wages or ferrying luggage from one platform to the other. There is always something happening.
The pedestrian bridges, more than a century old, have seen multitudes of travellers pass their way.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
Atif Khan and Mohammad Javed, two friends from Rawalpindi, await the Awam Express to Karachi. “In times of crisis, like in the case of the recent fuel shortage, taking the train is the best option,” says Atif Khan. The train’s arrival sets thing in motion. An electric energy runs through the multitudes and people who were hitherto lost in their own worlds suddenly focus all their attentions on the arrival of the steel beast that, slowly but surely, comes to screeches halt in front of them.
Idrees, the tea boy, has to deliver tea all over the station. “It’s a big station, it’s not an easy job,” he says with a grimace.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
“I have been in this profession for 40 years, and believe me, I’ve seen far worse times,” Abdul Majeed, the driver, says as he lefts the engine cool. “Technology is improving and its getting easier and easier to operate the trains and the railway system,” he muses.
Allah Dad (L) and his fellow porters at their perch outside the station entrance.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
Like the station master and other railway workers, the lives and livelihoods of the people that eke out a living here are also dependent on the steady coming and going of people from this terminus. “Station life is tough”, says Mohammad Idrees, a waiter at a canteen. “I deliver anywhere between three to four hundred cups of tea all around the station. The porters are never satisfied either.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
Until the 1970s, self-winding clocks were used by the railways and every station had to employ special staff that would wind the clocks every day.
Allah Dad and his colleagues tell me they have no fixed wages. “Getting a measly Rs500 per day is not enough to support our families, but we try harder every day,” he says with a sigh. “It is the only life that I know.”
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
How many of you have traveled by train?
Did you take pictures during your journey? If yes, please share.
@muqawwee123 @Microbian @Tahurra @jasos @SID_NY @Ali_Syed
@kkf
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
I loved it!! I've never seen a train station in Pakistan.
It actually doesn't look to dirty or shabby.
Thanks for sharing!!! Enjoyed it very much.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
I myself physically present on several railway station.
1) Karachi
2) Hyderabad
3) Lahore
4) Unidentified location in Punjab. Scenery was very beautiful
5) Unidentified location in Punjab, where train was stopped by engine fault. I spent half an hour at local tea shop.
6) Rawalpindi station.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
no kabhi bhi nahi jana hua train sey...maagar moka mila tu zaror inshaAllah han railway station karachi ek baar dekha hay
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
maiN to India meN train se bahot safar kartaa huN magar is baar mujhe baRaa talKh tajurbaa huaa...meraa reservation 16 January ko Ghareeb Rath Express meN AligaRh se Allahabad kaa thaa...magar...yeh train AligaRh 18 January ko 7 am par aayii [37 ghanTe late] aayii aur Allahabad 6 pm [42 ghanTaa late] pahoNchii.
FOG kii mahrbaanii se hamaaraa 6 ghanTe kaa safar 11 ghanTe meN tai huaa aur jis ke liye hameN 42 ghanTe intizaar karnaa paRaa...:(
i'll never ever take the Indian trains in winter again.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
:k: @mahool
As a kid I have travelled a lot on train (going to Shikarpur from Karachi) but the trip I enjoyed most was University trip to Karachi-Lahore-Isb
For some reasons early morning stops at small stations, having a boiling hot tea at those tea stalls and having fake brown boiled eggs for bf has always fascinated me
off course getting off train, running to stall and buying “Sohan Halva” and “Habshi Halva” at Multan’s station was a fun I’d do any day!
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
^ have you tried waiting for the train to move and then getting on/off the train after it attained considerable speed?
once i traveled to AligaRh from Allahabad during a railway strike. only a few trains were running at the time. i had to write my exam so i had to travel. i got on the Kalka Mail and i remember traveling 8 hours [500 miles] with my only one foot inside the train through the window of the trains's door. my other foot was perched on the foot-board of the train with my entire body dangling outside the compartment. it was a ride both scary and fun-filled. :)
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
koi Kajol hamri taraf bhi bhaag rahi hoti tu him bhi yee try maar laitey 
http://s3.scoopwhoop.com/sup/srk/3.jpg
Not with train but have done that a lot with Karachi buses and coaches
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
is meN to laRkii bhaag rahii hai:
agar laRkaa bhaagtaa to koii baat hotii!
i did a lot of foot-plating in India. i remember once a beautiful girl was sitting a few windows down the gate of the train’s compartment. i bought a balloon, tied it to the thread and released it to reach in front of her window. with the wind, the ballon will go in and out of her window and she seems to have enjoyed our creativity. she once also flicked it with her finger away from her…at her destination, she told her name…her name was Rubina! 
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
During my university life I used to travel a lot between Lahore and Islamabad. Personally love Rawalpindi station which is based in the cantonment area hence more more well managed, Lahore station on the other hand is filled with chaos. The area where it is located is also chaotic, dusty and dirty. I remember how I'd get riled up after setting my foot out of Lahore station.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
Try kisi aur ne mari thi par aap us waqt gullu butt bane hwe thay..
http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-06/25/13/enhanced/webdr09/enhanced-32283-1403716263-1.jpg
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
I have travelled between Lahore and narowal as well, a 100 km journey hog could take hours and hours. The most pathetic trains would be run on routes like these, it was not uncommon for the engines to break down on the route.
Re: Arrival and departure: a day at the station
I had the pleasure of traveling by train once as a child; traveling from Lahore to Karachi. We got stuck with an uncle who was very nice, and also pretty chatty. He wanted me to chat at the same frequency, so he pulled out a packet of dried fruits to consume and asked me to read the name of all the stations that come along the way. He really meant it, because I stopped after a while thinking this is crazy. He asked me “Why did you stop?..Keep telling me which stations come up”. 
He was in for the long haul too, all the way to Karachi. 
The journey was pretty nice. I remember getting off for a few minutes at a station mid-way somewhere; I do not recall the name now. I also remember we had a pretty decent amount of stop in Hyderabad. That’s where I browsed as much of the train station as was allowed, passing by food vendors. This is also where I first learned of the Hyderabad delicacy called Rabri. I still have not tried it yet, but soon inshaAllah.
For the next 24-48 hours after arriving in Karachi, I felt the motions of train journey even when I would be sitting around relaxing. Lol, it’s hard to describe.
These pictures bring back similar memories, so thanks for sharing them Mahool.