7 railway stations in India with unbelievable colonial history

Long before airports became the gateways to Indian cities, railway stations carried that responsibility. They were where traders, soldiers, officials and migrants first stepped into Bombay, Calcutta, Madras or Delhi. But the British didn’t build these stations merely as transport hubs. Many were designed as statements of imperial ambition: grand, theatrical and impossible to ignore.
Here are seven Indian railway stations whose colonial histories remain as fascinating as the journeys they continue to serve.

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Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is perhaps India’s most iconic colonial railway building. Built between 1878 and 1888 as Victoria Terminus, it was designed by British architect Frederick William Stevens as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway.

At the height of colonial Bombay’s rise as a trading powerhouse, the British used the station to showcase industrial wealth and engineering might. Architecturally, the station is stunning, Gothic arches, stained-glass windows, and gargoyles blended with Mughal-inspired domes and Indian carvings. UNESCO later recognised it as one of the greatest examples of “Gothic Bombay”.

Today, CSMT remains the heart of Mumbai’s suburban railway system while also serving famous long-distance routes like the Mumbai-Goa Konkan journey and trains towards central and eastern India. Sunset is the best time to see the illuminated facade, especially if paired with a heritage walk through Fort, Flora Fountain and the Gateway of India area.

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Standing beside the Hooghly River, Howrah Station in Kolkata remains one of India’s great railway landmarks. The first train from Howrah to Hooghly ran in 1854, making it one of the earliest centres of railway expansion in British India. The current red-brick structure emerged in the early 20th century as the city expanded into the capital of British India. The station’s endless platforms, clock towers and arched windows still carry the atmosphere of another century.

Howrah is still one of India’s busiest long-distance railway hubs, with famous routes connecting Kolkata to Delhi, Mumbai, Puri and the Northeast. Travellers often recommend arriving here at least once by train to experience the classic “old India railway” mood that Kolkata is known for.

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When the British adopted Shimla as the summer capital of India, they needed a reliable route into the Himalayas. The Kalka-Shimla Railway, opened in 1903, became that lifeline. Stretching 96 km from Kalka to Shimla, the narrow-gauge line climbs through tunnels, stone bridges and sharp mountain curves. At the time, it was considered one of colonial India’s greatest engineering achievements.

More than a century later, the toy train remains one of India’s most scenic rail journeys. Pine forests, misty hillsides and tiny stations pass slowly outside the window, creating a nostalgic hill-station atmosphere. This station has also appeared in the Bolywood blockbuster cinema 'Jab We Met' (2007).

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High above Darjeeling town sits Ghum station, part of the famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is often described as India’s highest railway station at a breathtaking altitude of 2,258 meters (7,407 feet).

Built in the late 19th century, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connected tea plantations and the hill station of Darjeeling with the plains below. British engineers tackled steep Himalayan terrain using loops, zigzags and narrow-gauge tracks that still feel remarkable today.

The station itself is tiny and atmospheric. Mist rolls across the tracks, steam engines occasionally whistle through the hills and the nearby museum preserves memories of early Himalayan travel. The Darjeeling-Ghum toy-train joy ride remains one of India’s most loved heritage railway experiences.

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Lucknow’s Charbagh station barely resembles a railway station at first glance. With domes, arches and minaret-like towers, it looks more like a nawabi palace. Constructed between 1914 and the 1920s, the station reflects the British attempt to merge imperial railway architecture with Lucknow’s Indo-Islamic identity. Designed by J.H. Horniman, it combined Mughal and Rajasthani motifs with British architecture.

Colonial stations functioned as gateways to important cities, and Charbagh was designed to impress arriving passengers instantly. Today, the station serves major north Indian rail routes connecting Delhi, Varanasi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

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Simply known as Chennai Central, this railway station has welcomed travellers into South India since 1873. The station was built during the expansion of the Madras Railway network and linked the port city of Madras with the interior regions of southern India. Its Gothic and Romanesque Revival architecture, especially the clock tower and arched windows, reflected Victorian tastes adapted to tropical conditions.

The station also represents Madras’s lesser-known role in India’s early railway history. Even today, Chennai Central remains the starting point for some of south India’s most important rail journeys, including routes towards Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kerala and Kanyakumari.

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Situated in Chandani Chowk, close to the Red Fort, Old Delhi Railway Station is a blend of Mughal and colonial influence. Started in 1903, this station was designed to resemble the Red Fort, with towers and red sandstone. British planners wanted the station to visually merge into the Mughal landscape while also asserting the growing dominance of railways.

Before New Delhi station opened in 1926, this was the Delhi's main railway junction connecting multiple railway systems across north India. Today, the station still serves important routes to Agra, Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar and Varanasi. But the real experience begins outside the station itself, stepping directly into the sensory overload of Chandni Chowk.

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