Ludhiana on development track with century-old railway station

Indian Railway records trace the history of the station to 1907. Built under the British rule,the station is a fine example of the 20th century British architectural taste,as it was constructed with brick masonry in lime mortar depicting magnificent arches at the entrance.

The main line between Ludhiana and Ambala is,however,said to have been laid way back in 1869. Gradually,the rail lines branched off to various other far flung parts of the state and later connected the city with

Ferozepur in the early 20th century. It also connected Malerkotla and other towns (now in Haryana) to the city.

Right from the beginning,the Ludhiana Junction was an important station of the North Western Railway.

The station was directly linked to cities like Amritsar and Lahore on one side and Ambala on the other,which was further linked to other important centres like Delhi,Bombay and Calcutta.

Old employees remember the station as a small one with a couple of lines passing through it. “It was very small as compared to its present size. Nevertheless,it looks beautiful and the architecture is splendid,” said an old resident of the city.

“Industries prospered in the city due to railway connectivity as it facilitated the transport of raw material and manufactured products to markets.”

Today,over 50,000 people visit the station every day and as many as 130 trains pass through it on a daily basis.

Presently,it has seven platforms and is equipped with modern facilities like ATMs,a cyber café and a touch screen inquiry system. In 2008-09,the station collected Rs 118 crore in revenue through parcel goods and other commercial activities like publicity and stall rent.