New Delhi: Indian Railways has always served as a lifeline for the citizens of the country. One of the largest railway networks of the world, India Railways cover a route of a route of 65,000 km and 7,500 stations carrying over 30 million passengers daily. Known as one of the busiest railway networks, Indian railways also comprises of some amazing railway stations across the country.

Here we present you the list of the 10 most astounding railway stations of India:

Howrah Station, Kolkata

Known as the oldest station Howrah Station is located on the bank of the Hooghly River. It is one of the four intercity railway stations serving the city of Kolkata and has 26 platforms with highest train-handling capacity amongst any railway station in India.

Charbagh Railway Station, Lucknow

One of the two main stations of the Lucknow city, Charbagh Station's foundation stone was laid in 1914 and was completed in 1923. Having an outside look of a palace, it has a mix of Rajput, Awadhi and Mughal architecture. The most amazing part of this railway station is that an aerial view of the station building shows it as a chess board and the domes and pillars of the building appear to be pieces of a chess game.

Trivandrum Central, Kerala

One of the oldest railway stations in India, Trivandrum Central station was built during the reign of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, the Maharani of Travancore, and inaugurated on 4 November 1931. An important rail hub in Southern Railway, Trivandrum Central Station is the largest and busiest railway station in Kerala in terms of passenger movement.

Vashi railway station, New Bombay, Maharashtra

One of the biggest stations in Navi Mumbai, Vashi railway station is a commercial complex with many offices and business establishments. The classy station in Maharashtra, is a landmark in Navi Mumbai.

Coimbatore Junction, Tamil Nadu

One of the A1 graded station in the Southern Railway, Coimbatore Junction is the primary railway station serving the metropolis of Coimbatore. Besides from being one of the major rail junctions in South India, it is also the second busiest and revenue yielding railway station in Tamil Nadu.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Built in 1887, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a historic railway station in Mumbai, and was designed by Frederick William Stevens, and serves as the headqaurters of the Central Railways. Formerly known as Victoria Terminus (VT), the busiest railway station in India was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in 1996. It is also known as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kanpur Central, Uttar Pradesh

One of the busiest station of North Central Railways, Kanpur Central, holds the record for the largest route interlocking system in the world and was build in 1930. Although the construction of the building was inspired by Lucknow's splendid Charbagh NR railway station building but it could not be constructed similiar to Charbagh station due to the lack of funds.

Visakhapatnam Railway Station

Visakhapatnam Railway Station is a major railway station located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The railway station is under the control of East Coast Railway of Indian Railways.

Vijayawada Railway Station, Andhra Pradesh

One of the busiest railway stations in India, Vijaywada station, is the only station to have five entrance gates with booking counters in India. Constructed in 1888, the railway station has ten platforms for passenger trains, serving 50 million passengers per year.

Mysore Railway Station

Mysore railway station is a station in the historical city of Mysore, Karnataka. There are about 6 platforms at this station. After the gauge conversion,many trains which earlier terminated at Bangalore were extended to Mysore. Mysore railway station received the 'most tourist-friendly railway station’ award from the Ministry of Tourism in 2011-12.