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Arab News
18 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Last train to Zhob: Balochistan's historic narrow-gauge railway fades into silence
BOSTAN: Until four decades ago, the Bostan Junction Railway Station was a place of industry and movement: steam whistles echoed in the mountain air, porters loaded freight and children raced along its narrow-gauge tracks. Located about 30 kilometers north of Quetta in the Takatu mountain range, Bostan once linked Pakistan's rugged west to a vast colonial network of steel and steam. Today, the station lies silent. Carriages rust in the sun. Tracks are buried beneath dust and weeds. The station buildings, once bustling with workers and traders, are mostly empty. Built under British rule, the Bostan-Zhob narrow-gauge line was commissioned in 1919 and, by 1929, stretched 294 kilometers to the border town of Zhob. It wound through ten remote stations, including Kan Mehtarzai, the highest railway station in Pakistan at 2,224 meters above sea level. While the rest of the subcontinent was dominated by broad-gauge lines, Balochistan's unforgiving mountainous terrain required something lighter, cheaper and more flexible. Narrow-gauge rail was the solution — and Bostan became its hub. 'The first 74.7 kilometers were completed in January 1921, connecting Bostan with Hindubagh [now Muslim Bagh],' said Aminullah Khan, the current Station Master at Bostan Junction. 'There used to be large offices here with loading and unloading operations. Nearly 500 to 1,000 railway employees worked here in different departments, but today, only four employees work at this station and the rest of the offices are closed.' The line carried both freight and passengers. British authorities used it to transport chromite ore from the mines in Hindubagh to Bostan, where it was transferred to broad-gauge trains for shipment to Karachi via Quetta. The Bostan-Zhob line continued operating well after Pakistan's independence in 1947 but was eventually shut down in 1985. Pakistan Railways cited mounting financial losses and the difficulty of maintaining the remote infrastructure. 'It was consistently running at a loss,' said Dr. Irfan Ahmed Baig, a Quetta-based academic and author of Half-Century Rail. 'There are even records that for one or two years, not a single ticket was sold. People tore up the tracks and took away everything, which faded the remains of the historical track.' Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways in Quetta, Imran Hayat, confirmed the line's decline. 'With the government's policy of promoting roads more than the Railways, the track slowly deteriorated and was finally closed on May 29, 1985,' he said. 'The population of Balochistan province has always been scant, and it cannot be said with clarity that it was a well-patronized passenger route for Railways.' He added that some rolling stock was deliberately left behind at Bostan at the community's request. But over the years, theft and scavenging have stripped away much of what remained. 'The stock has slowly been cannibalized by the locals, and theft of metal is a routine practice,' Hayat said. 'The remaining stock available at Bostan Railway Station is in very bad shape and of no use other than scrap value. The local population has no plan for the restoration of the stock, neither have they ever requested nor shown interest in this regard.' 'DISAPPEAR FROM HISTORY' Others see it differently. Kaleemullah Kakar, a 45-year-old tribal elder who led a protest in 2023 against the auction of the remaining railway assets, remembers when the station was a part of everyday life. 'I still remember when our school ended, we spent our childhood right on this platform,' he said. 'I remember clearly the coal engines on those tracks, just like I can see you now.' Kakar said over 100 narrow-gauge coaches and several steam engines were removed from Bostan and relocated to major cities. 'Out of nearly 150 historical bogies, Pakistan Railways sold 100 bogies and eight steam engines were taken away and are now standing outside Lahore, Karachi and Quetta Railway Stations,' he said. 'Nothing was left for Bostan.' Only about one kilometer of track remains today. Six damaged carriages sit in the station yard. The shed that once housed locomotives is now an empty shell. Still, some believe the railway's legacy, and what little is left of it, deserves to be preserved. 'We deeply wish for the narrow-gauge service to resume because it gave recognition to this town,' said Muhammad Naseem Khan Nasir, a local politician and tribal elder. 'If these remnants vanish, nothing will be left of Bostan. Even its name will disappear from history.'
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Interactive train exhibit celebrates 200 years of the railway
A train with hands-on interactive exhibits to celebrate 200 years of the railway has arrived in Inspiration is a mobile exhibition touring the UK as part of national will be at Horsted Keynes, one of the stations on the heritage Bluebell Railway line, and will be open from 23 to 29 marks the anniversary of the world's first public railway to use steam trains, the Stockton and Darlington railway, which began running in 1825. A project by the National Railway Museum, Inspiration features exhibits on how railways changed the world, hands-on displays on railway engineering and on how the future of the industry might Bluebell Railway will be running extra services from its other stations in East Grinstead and Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes to link up with the display. Jon Beardmore, business development manager at the Bluebell Railway, said: "We're delighted to have Inspiration with us for a week at the start of the school holidays."This will be the best chance for people in Sussex and Surrey to see it in 2025."Tickets are available in advance, with the national tour ending with visits to Paddington and Victoria stations in December.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
Treasured model trains and boats stolen from Abingdon recovered
Part of a large collection of model steam trains and boats stolen from the home of an engineering enthusiast in his 90s has been collection, which also included two vintage motorbikes, was taken from an address in Abingdon on 4 May Thames, Valley Police force said about 16 items had been reunited with the man but the motorbikes along with a green model locomotive in a wooden case were still believe the Royal Enfield and vintage BSA motorbikes were advertised for sale online in the Oxfordshire area shortly after they were stolen. Anyone with information that may help find the final the stolen items is urged to contact police. A member of the victim's family said: "We would like to thank the public for their incredible response. "Thanks to their interest and generosity in coming forward, our dad is reunited with some of his treasured engines. It's really amazing to see them again. "We are extremely grateful to everyone and can't thank the people involved enough for helping with the investigation."They added: "Our father served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and later worked at the Pressed Steel in Cowley, designing mechanical parts of cars." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Peers debate change to 105-year-old law so children can work on steam trains
Peers have asked ministers to tweak a 105-year-old law to let young people work on heritage railways, before there is 'no-one' with a memory of steam trains on main lines. Labour's Lord Faulkner of Worcester proposed an amendment to the Employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children Act 1920, which barred children from work in any 'any industrial undertaking', including in mines, construction or transport. If agreed, his change would have exempted voluntary work on heritage railways and tramways from the ban. Government whip Lord Katz cautioned there 'may be unintended consequences' by amending the 'old legislation', but Lord Faulkner indicated he could push for a vote on his proposal before the Employment Rights Bill becomes law. Supporting the proposals, independent crossbench peer the Earl of Clancarty said: ' Steam railways are an important part of this country's heritage, and as every year passes that importance surely grows. 'We are getting closer to a time when there will be no-one with a personal memory of such trains in their working life, so as well as being an enjoyable activity for interested, enthusiastic children and young people, this is also an educational opportunity for the next generation.' Lord Faulkner said the ban was from a 'very different era' and told the Lords it 'languished unknown on the statute book for many years'. He said: 'Heritage railways managers, not surprisingly, do not wish to break the law, even if it is moribund and other safeguards exist.' Training on heritage railways 'has led to many seeking careers on the national rail network and in some cases have provided training and apprenticeships appropriate to their future career choices', Lord Faulkner added. He warned that even where regulators have said they would not prosecute a child who volunteers on a heritage railway, a legal challenge 'could be brought by a local authority or by a relative of a young people, regardless of the assurances given'. Historic England chairman and Conservative peer Lord Mendoza said: ' One of the most difficult things in the heritage sector is to encourage young people to come into it, to learn the skills, to learn the trades that we need in order to keep our heritage environment going for as long as we can.' In his response, Lord Katz said 'regulators should and do take a proportionate approach to enforcement action'. He offered a meeting with peers who wanted to change the law, adding: 'The 1920 Act is old legislation and amendment of it should only be considered after a thorough review upon other areas of law, as there may be unintended consequences.' Withdrawing his amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, Lord Faulkner said he would 'take up the minister's kind offer' but added that without solution, he believed 'the House as a whole would like the opportunity to express its view on the report' as the draft new law progresses.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Telegraph
Steam trains win bank holiday reprieve as Network Rail lifts fire-risk ban
Steam trains will be able to run on the mainline during one of the busiest weeks of the year after heavy rain eased concerns about the threat of track-side fires. Network Rail lifted a steam ban on popular routes in North West England including the Settle & Carlisle and Cumbrian Coast lines, while the operator of the Jacobite train in Scotland said it would switch back to steam from diesel. Amber alerts indicating a risk of fire across the wider network were meanwhile downgraded after downpours on Friday night soaked lineside vegetation that had been tinderbox dry. An expert on Network Rail's special trains team said that months of minimal rainfall had created 'brown corridors' at substantial risk of being ignited by embers jettisoned by steam engines. He said: 'The entire country has been at high alert, but some routes, particularly in the North West, have been forced to ban steam in recent weeks as the risk has just been too great. 'But with the weather turning and rain arriving Friday night and over the weekend, the risk is reducing and steam can once again run on our metals.' This year has seen the driest start to spring in England since 1956, with half the expected rainfall in April and only a quarter of the long-term average in March.
