Monday, January 16, 2006

H is for HOWRAH


howrah_2
Originally uploaded by dalbhat.
Minutes after I took this photo, a train came in from the outskirts of the city, and this platform was teeming with people coming into Kolkata for the day for the CPM rally. The feeling of the crowd was more like a bunch of picnickers though, coming to the city for lunch and a bit of socializing.

FACTS:
- Howrah is situated on the Howrah bank of the Howrah Bridge
- Said to be one of the biggest stations in the country
- Trains run throughout suburbs, West Bengal and the major cities of India
- Second oldest station and one of the largest railway complexes in India
- 21 platforms
- 300 trains to every part of the country
- Over 1,000,000 passengers every day
- Made functional 1 December 1905. - Designed by British Engineer Halsey Ricardo.

Sounds straightforward but go wait for a train there and see how straightforward the experience really is.