Haji Shah Railway Station
( Purana Railway Station)
Dr. Abdus Salam [email protected]
1. In October 1878 the 123 Km long Jhelum-Rawalpindi section was opened and train reached Rawalpindi. In January 1881 Rawalpindi to Haji Shah Railway line was completed(2,3)..
2. This is called Purana Station in local language. Campbellpur cantt was 4 miles south of Haji Shah Railway station. Haji Shah Village was one mile from the railway station (4) Punjab Northern State Railway was operating in this area.
3. It has been learned that the land occupied by the Haji Shah Railway Station is still owned by the Pakistan Railway. Its location is west of 3-Meela More – Haji Shah Road.
It will a great work if someone exactly pinpoint the location and shares its GPS (global positioning system) coordinates.
Displaying a signboard there will be a most welcome action / favor.
4. Train- Tonga – Ferry -Train Khairabad Kund to Peshawar Railway was completed in May
1882(2).There was no railway bridge on Indus .Passengers used to leave the train at Haji Shah , cross the bridge of boats at Attock— or in the months of June, July, and August, the ferry — and re-enter the train for Peshawar at Khairabad. (4) This practice continued for one year till
May1883 (6)
5. 5 miles railway line from Haji shah to Attock bridge was completed in May 1881(2,5)Attock Railway Bridge opened for traffic on 24th May 1883(1). Section from Attock Bridge to Khairabad, 3 miles, was opened on 31st May 1883(6)
6. Original alignment of the North-Western Railway was altered in 1899, so as to pass through Campbellpur (7) 18 Km long Sanjwal -Campbellpur – Rumian section was opened in 1899(1).
7. Haji Shah old railway station remained functional for 18 long years from 1881 to 1899.
8. Campbellpur Railway station was opened in 1899.
9. 31 Km long Basal – Campbellpur section was opened in 1899(1).Basal
10. Campbellpur railway line passes through Kala Chitta range. There are 7 tunnels in between Jhalaar and Kanjoor. Work on this line progressed from the south to the north as shown by the numbering of tunnels.
11. The number 11 tunnel was completed in 1898 and is the north most. It lies near Kanjur .
Kala Chitta tunnels
12. Moving north from Chhab there are two tunnels…# 1 and #2 between Chhab and Jhamat
Then there are two more tunnels…# 3 and # 4 between Jhamat and Uchhri.
Jhallar Tunnel is north of Jhallar station.It has number 5…but is the first tunnel of Kala Chitta Range.
The last tunnel has number 11.
Thus making 7 tunnels of Kala Chitta between Jhallar and Attock
The information in Para 12 above was provided by Major Dr Amin Khattak Sahib of Chhab .He was a frequently travelled on this route in 1970s
13. There are two tunnels between Attock bridge and Khairabad station.The first tunnel on the western bank of the Indus is named the Raja Hodi tunnel. This is about a mile south of Khairabad
This tunnel passes through Raja Hodi hill . The hill has elevation of 557 metres.
14. The Pakistan Gazetteer – Volume 5 – Page 245 states
Original name of Rahim Yar Khan was Nowshera. In 1881 the Railway authorities desired to alter the name of this Station. Becat Naushahra was also the name of a Station in Peshawar District . So Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad khan named it Rahimyar Khan after his first son.
References
1 Chronology of Pakistan Railway
2 Sessional Papers – Volume 73 – Great Britain Parliament. House
of Commons – 1902
3 Cook’s Indian tours … Program of Cook’s new system of
international travelling ticket –1881
4 The Land of the Five Rivers and Sindh: -David Ross – London- 1883 –
5 Report on the Administration of the Punjab -Lahore – 1882
6 N.W.F. Province Gazetteers – Volume 6, Part 1
7 Punjab District Gazetteers (1932)
8 My shortest train journey by Salman Rashid,The news June 2009
Dr. Abdus Salam –
([email protected])
