Farewell to Secunderabad Railway Station’s 151-Year-Old Icon

 

The iconic Secunderabad Railway Station main building on the northern side, standing tall for 151 years, is being demolished to make way for a modern station with world-class facilities. This development is of deep personal interest to me, as my father served here with the Nizam’s State Railways and later Indian Railways for sixteen years, until 1952, when he moved on to the Singareni Collieries Company.

Built in 1874 during the reign of the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, the station is among the oldest in the country. The construction of the Secunderabad–Wadi railway line began in 1870, in collaboration with the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, then a British-owned company. The Nizams bore the entire expense, and after four years of work, the tracks between Secunderabad and Wadi Junction were completed. At the same time, the terminal building took shape, and in 1874, the first train of the Nizam’s private railways departed from here to Wadi. Later, the line was extended to Vijayawada Junction in 1889.

The station building itself was an architectural marvel. Designed in the Nizam style with British engineering expertise, it featured a grand portico and a spacious concourse. Even when the station was integrated into Indian Railways in 1951 and remodelled in 1952, the original structure was carefully preserved and not demolished.

Sadly, that legacy will soon vanish.

The new Secunderabad station is expected to be ready within a year. Once completed, it will be one of the most modern railway stations in the country, comparable to an international airport. The redesigned complex will feature terminal buildings on both northern and southern sides, each with four levels (ground plus three). A double-storey sky concourse will link them, supported by two 7.5-metre-wide travelators, 26 lifts, 32 escalators, and two expansive footbridges. Multi-level and underground parking will further ease access.

The northern terminal will resemble an airport, complete with spacious lounges, modern ticketing counters, air-conditioned waiting halls, comfortable seating, retail outlets, food courts, and other passenger amenities.

While the new station promises convenience and modernity, the loss of the 1874 heritage structure marks the end of an era for Secunderabad and for those, like me, whose family history is intertwined with its story.