The train hurtles by and a sharp gust of wind hits my face. The fervent buzz of people saying frenzied goodbyes fills the air accompanied by the scraping of heavy luggage being hauled and thrown into the crowded carriages. The sharp aroma of freshly brewed tea enters the nostrils along with something fried and greasy food.

There's something about a train station that makes you want to travel and experience the adventures on a train. Travelling in an airplane may be luxurious but if you actually want to experience and savour every scenic aspect of a journey, then a train journey is something you simply must opt for.

But before embarking on the journey, let us look into the everyday activity at the station. I had lived near the Karachi Cantt. station for nearly a decade, so close by, that I could hear the screech of the train's whistle every now and then along with the clatter of the train tracks. However, it wasn't till much later, that I got the opportunity of actually going inside a train station.

Karachi Cantt. is the biggest and busiest railway station of the throbbing metropolis — Karachi located in the military area called Karachi Cantonment. This cantonment town is a military base and a residential establishment. It was set up by the British Indian Army in the 19th century and later taken over by the Pakistan Army in 1947. However, the Karachi City Station is the city's second major railway station linking Karachi to the rest of the country by Pakistan Railways.

As you approach the main red-roofed building of the Cantt. station, a horde of porters in fiery orange clothes will greets you warmly. They will swarm around and encourage you to unburden your luggage to them and will stay with you until you are aboard the train, stowing your cases safely away for you.

The security at the station has been beefed up and people who enter the premises are checked and requested to carry their entrance token with them. The procedure of obtaining the tickets is also organised.

There's plenty to partake at the station from local chips and fried stuff to chilled and steaming drinks to even a pizza outlet.

Even if you're not travelling, this is a great place to take children and show them the train carriages, the masterful engine, station master's waving the flag, the whistle of the train, the gradual pulling away of the carriages from the tracks and the sudden surge of speed as it chugs along to disappear into the distance is something worth experiencing. That is why several schools also bring students for field trips to the station.

All in all, even if you've not had the opportunity to experience a train journey, do not deprive yourself of a trip to the station. There is something so transient about standing at a station, watching people clamber aboard train carriages and then whizzing away. Soon, another truckload of people will gather at the station, for another train, destined for another destination. It is like the journey of life as people come and go; wait, catch the trains and head to their desired destination.