The city of Hubballi in India isn’t much known outside the country. It sits near the western coast and isn’t too far from Goa, the lazy metropolis which sits on the hippie trail.
Yet, Hubballi boasts something that no other village, town, or city in the world does: the longest-ever railway platform.
The Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi railway station only recently entered the record books after it was extended to accommodate passengers.
The station has since been celebrated as a fear of engineering — no wonder given its length of a staggering 1,507 metres.
Officially opened in March 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the station has since been in constant use by locals and travellers alike.
It was a costly project, coming in at around ₹ 20 crores, or £1,901,120.
The platform was built at such a length to accommodate the growing demand for rail travel that is expected to come in the region over the next few decades.
Indian Railways, renowned for being the country’s largest daily carrier, boasts an extensive network that covers the entirety of the country.
It operates some 12,817 trains a day and ferries around 24 million passengers up and down the nation.
Hubballi is operated under the South Western Railway zone division (SWR), which concentrates its business in the south west of the country.
The provider says the platform will allow two trains to travel in opposite directions simultaneously, easing congestion and improving efficiency.
The junction at Hubballi is one of the most important in India, with hundreds of trains changing at its intersection every day.
Up until the new renovation, however, the station lacked the infrastructure sufficient to cater for these locomotives.
