J&K govt is restoring India's oldest railway station to former glory; saving 124 years of heritage

Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to preserve India's oldest railway station as a 'heritage structure' to restore the glorious past. Important remnants of the 124-year-old pre-partition railway station, situated at Vikram Chowk Jammu, are still available, though in shambles.

The railway station was built in 1897 but was abandoned after the partition as the railway link to Sialkot was broken. The Jammu-Sialkot rail section was the only railway link that the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had before the partition of the country and was thereafter permanently shut after drawing of borders between two countries.

The first train chugged into J&K through Pakistan

The first-ever train that chugged into the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir before partition ran on the railway line connecting Sialkot, now in Pakistan, and Jammu. This railway station was functional till 1947 as it was the only trade route.

Since 1947, remnants of this historic rail link are vanishing. Over the years, the rail line has been dismantled by people and houses have come up in the small railway stations on the route. The length of the track was nearly 43 km. The steam engine train would start from Sialkot, cross through RS Pura station, and reach its destination, the Vikram Chowk station.

1889 manufactured hose is a historic remnant of the railway station

At Vikram Chowk railway station, a 1889 manufactured hose imported from Birmingham, is an important remnant of the historic railway station. The hose for filling water in the steam engine and narrow-gauge railway bogies stands with a banyan tree in a corner of the rail complex that has been converted into a workshop of passenger buses of the J&K Road Transport Corporation.

People from Pakistan used to visit Jammu for a Sunday picnic

Before the Partition, the Jammu-Sialkot link was a busy route, thanks to the flourishing trade and commerce between the two cities. A large number of people from Sialkot used to visit Jammu every Sunday for a picnic at the historic Ranbir canal. Similarly, the people of Jammu frequently visited Sialkot, a more modern city with localized industry.

Pristine glory to be restored on basis of old pictures

The Divisional Commissioner directed the concerned officers to go through the pictures available of the historic railway station as it had existed earlier to restore its pristine glory.

He directed revenue officers to conduct demarcation exercises and submit complete reports along with survey numbers involved, land titles, and other revenue details. He also directed the concerned to take drone shots of the station and mark the buildings, area which could be renovated.

The Tourism department and Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL) were directed to make a project report (proposal) for the renovation of the railway station including all the important components of the project.