In a country like India, where railway stations barely sleep and are mostly busy day and night, as the railway stations are the most convenient way of commuting from one place to another. But one station in India is completely different.
It stays silent and empty, and the train comes here only two days every two years, that is, the 23rd of March and the 13th of April. This is the Hussainiwala railway station, located in a border village in Punjab’s Firozpur district, which is very close to the India-Pakistan border. It is one of the most unusual stations across the country.
Also Read | World’s first ‘dinosaur leather’ bag unveiled, debate over authenticity begins
The history behind Hussainiwala railway station
Hussainiwala is not just a railway station. It is also a place of great history and sacrifice; right next to the station, the Hussainiwala National Martyrs Memorial is present, where three famous freedom fighters – Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru – were cremated. This makes the area very important for all Indians. The railway line was built in 1885, during British rule. At that time, it was a very busy route connecting Firozpur to Kasur, which is now in Pakistan, and further to Lahore and Peshawar.
The station was full of life, with trains carrying traders, soldiers, and ordinary people. A famous train called the Punjab Mail used to pass through regularly. Then came the Partition of India in 1947. When the new border was drawn along the Sutlej River, Hussainiwala fell on the Pakistan side. The railway line was totally cut; things became even worse during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Pakistani forces captured the area and destroyed the Kaiser-e-Hind bridge over the Sutlej; after that damage, the railway line beyond Hussainiwala became useless. The station became the last railway point on the Indian side, a dead end. Today, the station opens its gates only on two special days.
Also Read | THIS Indian city treats ice cream like a daily ritual: Here’s why
Why two particular special days?
The first date is March 23, the day Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were martyred; the second is April 13, which is celebrated as Vaisakhi, a harvest festival. On these two days, a special train called a DMU runs from Firozpur to Hussainiwala. It brings visitors who come to pay their respects at the martyrs' memorial. For the rest of the year, there is only silence. The station is abandoned. The broken old bridge still stands in the river, a sad and haunting reminder of a divided past.
