Karachi Cantt. Station – The City’s Main Railway Station

In This Post:
History of Karachi Station
Karachi Railway Station Facilities
Karachi Railway Station Number
Train Routes
Karachi Railway Station’s Location
Other Train Stations in Karachi
Revival of KCR

Located in the heart of the city’s main cantonment area, Karachi Railway Station is popularly known as Karachi Cantt. Station. It is the second-oldest railway station in the metropolis, after Karachi City Station. The beautiful architecture of Karachi Cantt. Station’s building speaks volumes about its intriguing past.

So, if you also want to learn more about this amazing historical landmark in the City of Lights, then you have come to the right place. In this blog, we are going to give you a comprehensive overview of Karachi Railway Station, including some important facts about its history, location and train routes.

Let’s begin!

History of Karachi Railway Station

Karachi Cantt. Station was formerly known as Frere Street Station. From 1896 to 1898, the magnificent structure of this railway station took two years to be constructed. The station served as an important part of the Scinde railway network, which connected Karachi’s seaport to other parts of the country. To commemorate the glorious past of this railway station in Karachi, an old steam engine has been positioned at its entrance, shown in the picture above.

Karachi Railway Station was one of the key landmarks in the city, architected by the Public Works Department in the latter half of the 19th century. To date, the building looks as magnificent as it would have looked in its early days. It boasts a high-arch ceiling and an impressive colonial-style layout. 

This historical landmark of the megacity has been declared as a protected heritage building by the Sindh Government. Among the busiest railway junctions in Pakistan, Karachi Cantt. Station is run and managed by the Pakistan Railways.

Quick Fact: The current office holder of the Ministry of Pakistan Railways is Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.

Facilities at Karachi Railway Station

As of now, Karachi Cantt. Station is one of the largest railway stations in Pakistan.  To facilitate passengers, it features 8 train tracks and 5 platforms. For loading and unloading of heavy items and luggage, a large workforce of porters, dressed in orange and white, is easily available on this train station in Karachi. 

You may also find a bunch of eateries, tea stalls, and tuck shops on the main platform of Karachi Cantonment Railway Station. All of the railway platforms at this junction are conveniently linked with overhead bridges. 

Upon reaching the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station, you can easily hire a rickshaw or cab as per your convenience. You can also find plenty of minibuses running in the area for commuting purposes. Moreover, ride-hailing services like Uber, Careem and Bykea can also be used for transportation purposes.

Contact Details for Karachi Railway Station

Whether you have to reserve your ticket or inquire about any train and its respective timings, you can conveniently use the contact details of Karachi Railway Station. You can also visit the Karachi train station on the following address for any type of queries related to luggage or arrival and departure of trains. Like other railway stations in Pakistan, there is a dedicated office for different functions of this station in Karachi, which you can visit in person for inquiries.

Karachi Train Station Address: Off Daud Pota Road, Main Cantonment Area of Karachi

Karachi Railway Station Number: 021 99206075-76

Railway Inquiries Helpline: 117

Since it is one of the busiest railway junctions in Pakistan, this train station in Karachi is linked with many popular train routes in the country. Let’s find out more about them in the next section of our blog.

Trains at Karachi Railway Station

Flocking with travellers almost the entire year, the central railway station of Karachi handles a large number of arrivals and departures on a regular basis. Some of the most important train routes linked with this station have been mentioned in the table below

Location of Karachi Railway Station

The Karachi railway station’s unique location puts it in the heart of the metropolis. As discussed, it is located in the city’s main cantonment area and falls in the jurisdiction of Frere Town. One of the biggest conveniences of this location is that the main railway station in Karachi is in proximity to a few top-of-the-line hotels in the city’s downtown including Avari Towers, Movenpick, Marriott and Pearl Continental. Read this blog to learn more about some of the best hotels in Karachi.

The best route to get to the location of Karachi Railway Station is Shahrah-e-Faisal from many popular neighbourhoods of the city including PECHS, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Nazimabad. People travelling from Clifton and Defence or vice versa can take the route of Chaudhry Khaliq uz Zaman Road via Lilly Bridge to get to their respective destinations. 

Ideally located a few minutes drive away from Saddar Town and old city area, Karachi Cantonment Railway Station is surrounded by the city’s many famous food joints. For example, if you’re craving street food and traditional dishes, you can head over to the Burnes Road. It is one of the oldest and most popular food streets in Karachi. Eateries like Waheed Kabab House, Mazedar Haleem, Food Centre and Delhi Rabri House are extremely popular in the area.

Other than this railway station in Karachi, there are also other operational railway junctions and train stations in the metropolis. We’ll learn more about them further in this blog

Other Railway Stations in Karachi

Now, let’s take a look at other operational railway stations in Karachi by listing down and discussing them one-by-one. Here we go!

• Karachi City Station
• Karachi Drigh Road Station

Karachi City Station

Constructed in 1855, Karachi City Railway Station is the oldest and second-most important station in the City of Lights after the Cantt. Station. It is located adjacent to the I.I. Chundrigar Road, which was formerly known as McLeod Road. 

The station has four platforms and four train tracks. It is a terminal station, which means the track of many train routes in the country originates and ends here. and is mostly used for loading and unloading of cargo trains. Some of the popular train routes for which originating from Karachi City Railway Station are as follows:

Karachi Drigh Road Station

Drigh Road Station is also an important railway station in Karachi. It is located on the main Shahrah-e-Faisal. Almost all of the trains entering and leaving the city pass through this station. However, only a few express trains use it as a stopover. Drigh Road Station has served as one of the key junctions of the Karachi Circular Railway’s loop line in the past.

Other railway stations in Karachi include Dhabeji Railway Stations, Malir Railway Station, Landi Railway Station, Bin Qasim Railway Station. Most of these railway stations are not operational but they may be restored upon the revival of the circular railway system in the city for mass transit. Let’s learn more about some latest developments in this regard.

Revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR)

Looking into the history, we come to know that the very first train of Karachi Circular Railway started its journey in 1969. This public mass transit system was intended to provide a fast and reliable means of transportation to the city of lights. However, due to financial constraints and other operational issues, KCR service was abandoned in the 1990s.

The authorities are now gearing up for the revival of Karachi Circular Railway. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has also ordered the speedy completion of this restoration process In the first phase, a 14-kilometre-long track will be completed. 

KCR, in its first phase, will run between the City Station and Orangi Town. The train stations in Karachi along its path will either be upgraded or renovated. For complete information and updates in this regard, don’t forget to read our detailed blog on the revival project of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

Now that we have given you all the important information about Karachi Railway Station and other train stations in the city, it’s time for us to wrap up this post. You may also like reading our similar blog posts on the central railway stations of Lahore and Rawalpindi.

If you have been to any of these train stations in the country, feel free to write to us about your experience at blog@zameen.com. We’d love to hear from you.

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