islamabad - The railway station of ‘Khurd’ and the iron-girder bridge built during the Victorian era – on the confluence of the River Indus and Kabul – have become an attractive tourist spot for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

The railway station, constructed in 1884, is situated on the periphery of district Attock while the old iron bridge connects the border of two provinces.

The construction of the bridge started in 1880 and finished in 1884 and, people were compelled to cross the river using  boats before the construction of this masterpiece.

The merger of muddy and frantic river Kabul with the serene River Indus reflects the difference between two civilizations, which lived along with the banks of these rivers. The construction of the bridge and railway station tells the history of the third ruler in the sub-continent.

There is railway station is around 80 kilometers away from Islamabad towards Peshawar on the mountain range of Kala Chitta.  The use of granite stone for the construction of the Victorian-era architecture is a magnificent work of human mind and hand.

According to history, the station and bridge were designed by Sir Francis O’ Callaghan. The old facility also witnessed negligence when it was in a dilapidated condition due to non-maintenance.

However, the government of Pakistan in 2007 preserved the old construction and made it striking for the tourists.

The railway station is now functional with a dozen staff members.

The iron-girder is around 160 meters long with two levels. The length is divided into five spans with their foundations built in deep in the water. The height of bridge from the ground is approximately 50 meters.

The upper level of the bridge was built for the trains and the lower for pedestrians.  The information carved on the bridge tells that the bridge was built by Joseph Westwood and Robert Baillie, of the Westwood Baillie & Co, London.

However, after the construction of new Kahirabad Bridge in 1980, the old bridge was closed for traffic.

Visitors are allowed to see the bridge and station, but the security forces deployed in the area restricts from walking freely in the area.

“I came from Karachi to Wah and a friend suggested this site to visit and I am deeply impressed by this magnificent construction,” said Faizan Nasir, a visitor there.

Two rivers and hills also keep the climate of the area pleasant and the visitors are not agitated enough from the scorching heat.

“The cool wind on the bridge has relieved me from stress,” said Muhammad Waqas who reached the spot to spend his weekend.

He said it is a historic and inexpensive place, where people from all walks of life can come and enjoy.

Kamran Khushnud, who took his family to spend a day on the river bank, said that this is an impressive spot which not only has a historic significance but is also quite inexpensive.  “People from all walks of life can come here without spending too much money and spend a day with natural beauty and picturesque views,” he said.

However, the visitors alongside the river and on the bridge were least concerned with the cleanliness of the environment. 

An official Ghafoor Khankhel Talking to The Nation said this is a single track of ‘B’ class station.  He said that though railway station is functional but trains rarely stop here because of the dearth of computers here.

“A very few colonial-era railway stations are being maintained and ‘Khurd’ is one of them.

He said visitors from all across the country including foreigners visit this place because of its historical significance. He also requested the visitors to keep the environment clean.