Thursday 12 January 2017

Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

Hi guys,
So today, I am going to talk to you about the "Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station". Why a post about a railway station, you'd ask me ? Well, the "Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station" is one of the many landmarks in the city of Lucknow, and it's so beautiful, it would be a shame not to talk about it.

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

Lucknow has two railway stations, but the "Charbagh" one is the main one, its official name is "Lucknow NR" (NR stands for Northern Railway) and its code is LKO (very useful to know when you'll check your train tickets).

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

In hindi, Char Bagh means four gardens, the station is located in the area of Charbagh in the south of the city. In deed, it used to be an orchard till 1867, when the first station was built. The actual railway station was built in 1926. It has an indo-saracenic architecture to match the most important sites of the city, which is also known to be "The City of Nawabs".

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

The "Indo-Saracenic" architecture is also called Indo-Gothic, Hindoo or Hindu-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal. It's a mix between Indo-Islamic, Indian, Gothic Revival and Neo-Classical movements. It was used by the British at the end of the nineteenth century in British India.

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

The building is constructed in red brick and has a frontage of long verandahs adorned with Mughal arches. Apart from the "Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station", it's my favorite train station in India. Besides, architecturally, it is considered one of the most beautiful railway stations in India and we can say that trains are kind a big of a deal in India.

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

From the Lucknow Station, I took the train to go to Varanasi. You can take the train there and use the following lines :
  • Varanasi - Lucknow line
  • Varanasi - Rae Bareli - Lucknow line
  • Varanasi - Sultanpur - Lucknow line
  • Lucknow - Kanpur Suburban Railway
  • Barabanki - Lucknow Suburban Railway
  • Lucknow - Moradabad line
  • Lucknow - Gorakhpur line
Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

Taking the train in India, is something that YOU HAVE TO DO. It's an amazing and fun experience, you'll get the chance to meet the locals and to experience travelling as an indian. It will be even better if you're travelling in an overnight train.

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

It can be a real pain in the ass to understand how to book a train ticket though. The Indian railway system is really complex and demanding. Among other stuff, you'll face the "Foreign Tourist Train Ticket Quota", the different classes, etc... So every time I had to take the train in India, I asked to the terrific travel agency "India Someday" to book the tickets for me. I saved so much trouble and time thanks to them !

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

The inside of the train station is pretty but as not pretty as its outside though. It also has Mughal arches, but the colors used are white and lilac.

Lucknow's Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, India

And not surprising at all in India : a guy mending the train at the last minute carrying his tools in a bag of indian snack (Navratan Mixture in case you're wondering) and lying on a train berth ! I still arrived safe and sound to Varanasi so I guess the Indian way is the only way as some of my friends would say.

9 comments:

  1. I'm in India right now! Unfortunately I won't be able to take a train this time around, but am hoping to the next time I get back. Sounds like such an interesting way to get around India!

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  2. That is such a great piece of architecture. If I were to visit India I would certainly take the train, as you suggest. I would also take your suggestion and use an agency to book the ticket, avoiding some of the hassle.

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  3. That is a gorgeous train station. If someone only saw photos of the outside, they'd never know that this stunning building houses a train station.

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  4. I love the red color of this building! I absolutely love trains, so being able to check this station out would be such a treat. There truly are so many amazing places to discover in India, I can't wait to get there one day!

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  5. It's so charming. Like popping up from a fairy-tale! Thanks for sharing, didn't know about it that much. :)

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  6. I have not heard of this train station before. I must say that it is absolutely stunning! How fascinating to see the man on the ground fixing the train just moments before departure. What a unique glimpse at the inner working of the place!

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  7. Great that you have an agency to boo the tickets for you, having lived in Africa I know how these things can be, especially seeing the guy repairing the train last minute.

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  8. I've heard of gothic architecture but never Hindu-Gothic! It's definitely a very interesting style. It is quite grand for a train station so I can see why it's considered one of the most beautiful stations in the country.
    I haven't travelled around India very much (just around Chennai with my school) but we did take the overnight train once and that was definitely an experience!

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  9. Wow! This is one impressive train station. Such beautiful architecture. Hopefully one day I'll get to arrive or depart from this beauty.

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Thanks for commenting !