Photo: India Rail Info
Ghost Stations: Exploring India’s Lost and Abandoned Rail Sites
India’s vast railway network is dotted with forgotten stations that once bustled with activity. As routes changed over the decades, many stations were abandoned and left to decay into eerie ruins. These ‘ghost stations’ have intriguing stories to uncover for the intrepid explorer.
Stations Lost in Time
Do you know there are over 200 lost and abandoned stations on India’s railway network? Shockingly, thriving junctions like Brindavan in Bengal and Clutterbuckganj in Madhya Pradesh were simply deserted years ago.
Not only that, but an extension of railway lines also left stations like Padapokhari in Bihar cut off from the main network and forgotten. Their isolated ruins stand testimony to changing track routes.
You’ll be amazed to find crumbling platforms covered in moss, overgrown tracks, and abandoned station buildings, now only inhabited by bats. It’s like time frozen from the colonial era.
Whispers from the Past
Each ghost station has its own intriguing backstory. Take Kayamkulam station in Kerala, abandoned in the 1960s. Local lore says a railway worker haunts the rundown platform at night.
Some relic stations were used as shelters by freedom fighters. Batesar, in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly hides a forgotten underground room linked to the 1857 mutiny.
Such tales give a sense of mystery to these silent sentinels from our rail history. They seem to whisper forgotten secrets from the past.
Preserving Rail Heritage
Many now call for the conservation of our lost railway heritage. Stations like Begunkodor in Bengal are being revived through local efforts. Some old lines may also reopen for tourism.
Ghost stations can become portals into history if preserved in small museums or galleries. Visiting them is a haunting reminder of the labor that built our mighty rail network.
Though crumbling, India’s lost stations are pieces of our rail history to be treasured. Who knows what stories lie buried on these silent platforms?
Source
- Bharat, S. (2022). From Delhi to Shimoga: 10 fascinating abandoned railway stations of India. Times Travel.
- Nelson, D. (2016). India’s hidden rail history: colonial-era railway stations and steam trains. The Guardian.
- Menon, M. (2021). On the tracks of Colonial India’s rail heritage. BBC News.
- Ritesh, K. (2019). Exploring the ghost railway stations of Bengal. The Deccan Herald.
- Dwivedi, V. (2020). Tales from the ghost railway stations of Uttar Pradesh. Times of India.
- Malhotra, S. (2018). Tracking the hidden railway stations of Mumbai. Mid Day.
- Telegraph (2021). The haunting tales of Kolkata’s ghost stations. The Telegraph.
- Lalwani, N. (2022). Abandoned stations of the Indian Railways. Conde Nast Traveller.
- Kumar, M. (2020). Bihar’s lost railway heritage through the lens of heritage photographers. Indian Railways.
- Menon, V. (2019). Kerala’s abandoned railway stations and their intriguing tales. The better India.
