Lahore Railway Station

Lahore Junction railway station was commissioned by the British Government and construction was contracted to Mian Mohammad Sultan Chughtai, a formal prince of the Royal Mughal Empire. The front portion was disliked by the government (as seen in older photographs) and was subsequently rebuilt by Sultan Mohammad.



It was the western terminus of the crucial Lahore—Ghaziabad rail line which facilitated the vital connection of the furthest reaches of the Punjab to the capital of the British Raj; New Delhi. This allowed for the movement of people, goods, and revenue within, to and from the fertile and heavily-populated region.



The station was severely affected during the riots which followed the Partition of the British Indian Empire and the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Similar to the contemporaneous situation with migrating Muslims from Delhi; Lahore's Hindus and Sikhs migrating to India were frequently attacked and killed in large numbers. Many considered the station unsafe and opted to make the journey on foot.

Lahore Junction railway station is the primary railway station and intercity transportation facility in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. 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 building is owned by Pakistan Railways and also serves as its headquarters. The station was built during the British Raj between 1859-1860 shortly after the Mutiny of 1857, and so was built in the style of a medieval castle to ward of any potential future uprisings, with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for defence of the structure. It remains a lasting legacy of the extensive railway network established during the British Raj, and reflect the British contribution to the region's infrastructure.