Time taken by both the the trains to reach the meeting point are the same.
If distance travelled by the slower train to the meeting point = d
Then faster train travels = d + 72
Now
(d + 72)/24 = d/16
d = 144 Km
Distance between the 2 stations
= d + ( d+ 72 ) = 144 + ( 144 + 72 ) = 360 Km.