For decades the Kashmir Valley had no rail link to the rest of India because of the difficult terrain across the Pir Panjal. The Kashmir Valley line — a short section between Baramulla and Banihal — was opened in 2009 with this station as its western end, and in 2025 it was finally connected to the national network via the Chenab Bridge, one of the highest railway bridges in the world.
The station is a low concrete building about 5 km from the town centre and is not especially scenic in itself, but the slow trains to Srinagar and beyond run through orchards and paddy fields with the Pir Panjal mountains as a backdrop — a memorable way to enter or leave the valley.