Families enjoy steam safari train trip to Attock

PESHAWAR: The revival of steam safari train tour from Peshawar to Attock Khurd after long seven years has been welcomed as a good step for the promotion of tourism and a source of enjoyment for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tourists from elsewhere in the country.
In a statement on Sunday, an official of the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) said that they launched the safari train trip from Peshawar to Attock Khurd on trial basis. But the response of the people, he said, was tremendous and quite encouraging that it would now be made a regular practice twice in a month.
Several families enjoyed a one-day excursion through steam safari train from Peshawar to Attock Khurd on Saturday. The TCKP had organised the event in collaboration with Pakistan Railways and Sehrai Travels.
Previously, the tours were arranged for a select group of people who would be invited through invitation cards. However, this time the general public purchased passes to avail the facility.Additional Secretary Sports, Tourism, Culture, Archaeology, Museums and Youth Affairs Department Naeem Akhtar along with General Manager (Events) TCKP Muhammad Ali Syed welcomed the guests on the platform of Peshawar Cantonment Railway Station with bouquets and garlands.
A large number of students, children, government servants, doctors, media personnel and International Woman Club came to the venue to catch the steam safari train and enjoy the daylong trip to Attock Khurd.
The historical tourist resort complex of Attock Khurd is situated on the eastern bank of Indus River near the old iron girder bridge built in 1883, which connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab.
The Old British Railway Station built around 1880 with its magnificent stone masonry and beautiful Victorian architecture is set in a hilly backdrop of an area steeped in the romance of history.
The British established the North Western Railway Attock Khurd Resort as a popular fishing spot and hunting ground for the black partridge and wild fox. On the Western Bank is a tall First World War memorial in the shape of a .303bullet.
It was built in the memory of the men of the 40th Pathan Regiment which took part in the Great World War. The Mughal Emperor Akbar built the grand Attock Fort in 1518 AD.The guests were enthralled by the scenic sites, lush green fields and orchards of peaches and plums, undulating hillocks and the rugged Manglot mountain range.