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Thar
Express resumes service after four decades
by Lokendra Singh
Munabao: The Thar Express has begun its maiden journey after a gap of over four decades. It reached Munabao on Saturday morning from Jodhpur in India and at Khokhrapar from Karachi in Pakistan. The train reaching Munabao has more than 200 passengers and wasl flagged off towards Khokhrapar by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday afternoon. The train left Jodhpur at 11:30 p.m. on Friday night. Relatives of passengers crowded the station, and raised slogans like Hindustan Jindabad as the train departed. The train coming from Pakistan via Khokhrapar reached Munabao at around 1:00 p.m., where it was received by Lalu Prasad Yadav. He flagged off the train for its return journey to Khokhrapar after a special ceremony.
Pakistan will manage the running of the inter-country train for the first
six months of the year, while India will take on the responsibility for
the next six months. After an extensive discussion, both countries decided
on January 31 to run the train. This train service is based on the model
of Samjhauta Express. The train Thar Express is named after the desert
Thar. The services of the train had ceased during the 1965 war. As per
the agreement, the train service would run every Saturday. It would leave
from Karachi to Khokhrapar on the Pakistan side in the night and cross
into the Indian side and reach Munabao in the morning and extend up to
Jodhpur. On its return journey, the train will start from Jodhpur on the
Indian side. The capacity of the train is to accommodate around 1000 passengers.
The fare on the Indian side is Rs.115 and on the Pakistan side is Rs.
190. Security arrangements have also been beefed up with the Border Security
Force (BSF) being given the task of maintaining security on the route
from the Indian side along with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and
GRP. Besides, security posts have been built around the station, and floodlights
and three-metre high fences have also been erected parallel to the tracks.
The rail link between the two countries was stopped when Pakistani fighter
jets bombed the tracks that linked the two countries during the 1965 war.
Prior to that, the train on this route used to be between Karachi to Mumbai
via Munabao. However, during the war of 1971 between Indian and Pakistan,
there was a temporary link-up to facilitate the movement of the armed
forces. But as a part of the confidence building measures between the
two sides, both the governments decided last year to restore the link
for passenger service.
-Feb 18, 2006
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