I had crossed Havelian several times while travelling to Abottabad and further on to Balakot, Kaghan, Naran and KKH but had never considered going there by train. In fact I was not even aware that a train operates between Islamabad and Havelian. So when the station master at Golra Railway Station informed me that a train leaves for Havelian every morning at 8:00 am I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. The same train returns to Golra after a few hours of stopover in Havelian, but does not have a scheduled stop at Golra on the way back.
Having collected all the necessary information I arrived at the Golra Station on a cool winter morning. As expected the train was not on time. There were about 25-30 people gathered at the station waiting for the train. There was no activity for a while as the ticket window was closed but on sound of the station bell the ticket window opened and there was a mad rush to get the tickets. The one-way ticket to Havelian cost me Rs. 60. You could not buy a return ticket as there is no scheduled stopover at Golra on the return journey.
The train arrived about an hour late and everybody quickly got on to reserve the best seats. I got a single seat along the window facing the Margallas. The train slowly made progress winding along the Margallas and making stops at Sangjani, Taxila Cantt, Haripur, Sarai Saleh and Baldher. After about a two hour journey we reached Havelian. It was late winter so I could still see snow capped mountains in the distance. I spent some time around Havelian city and had lunch at a small Dhaba just outside the station.
After a couple of hours wandering around the city I returned to the station to buy my return ticket. But I was informed that there were no tickets available. I insisted that I be given a ticket as I had to return to Islamabad the same day. A few other people also joined in the argument and made a point that we could stand in the train if there were no seats available. The ticket agent gave in to the pressure and immediately handed me a Rs. 80 ticket to Rawalpindi.
As luck would have it after about 2 hour of travel we reached Golra Railway Station where the train made an unscheduled stopover and I quickly disembarked.
April 10, 2015 at 4:32 am
Nice narration.
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April 10, 2015 at 4:41 am
Hasan Malhi,
Have you reached Karachi or still roaming around in Pano Aqil area?
The above is my WordPress ID.
Rashid Zia Cheema
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April 10, 2015 at 4:44 am
Who is ‘Marco Polo’ of this travel?
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April 10, 2015 at 5:48 am
Hasan Malhi and Yasir Ahmed.
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April 13, 2015 at 2:52 am
Interesting, I’ve taken a train ride from Taxila to Rawalpindi several times and I think it’s the same track. There’s a tunnel on the way just as you cross taxila.
I used to study in Taxila and whenever I got free by 10 or 11 in the morning, our group of friends would reach the station as the train would leave at 12pm. It was always a pleasant ride. This post reminded me of my university days. 🙂
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April 13, 2015 at 9:06 pm
How unusual to discover a train that doesn’t stop at one of its original destinations on its return trip! Was there ever an explanation for why the train didn’t make a scheduled stop at Golra on the way back?
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April 14, 2015 at 5:05 am
Its just one of those inexplicable things that happen in this country. Maybe it has to do with the timing of the train.
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April 15, 2015 at 6:46 am
The authorship has changed hands.
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