Thar Express
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| First service | 2006 |
| Current operator(s) | Pakistan Railways Indian Railways |
| Route | |
| Termini | Karachi Cantonment Zero Point |
| Stops | 2 |
| Distance travelled | 381 kilometres (237 mi) |
| Average journey time | 12 hours, 15 minutes |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 405UP (Karachi→Zero Point) 406DN (Zero Point→Karachi) |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Economy |
| Sleeping arrangements | Not available |
| Catering facilities | Not available |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Track owner(s) | Indian Railways Pakistan Railways |
Thar Express (Template:Lang-ur, Template:Lang-hi) is an international passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi, Pakistan and Jodhpur, India.[1] Both Pakistan Railways and Indian Railways takes responsibility for the train on its own territory.
History
The Thar Express is a continuation of the previous Sind Mail which use to travel between Karachi and Ahmedabad via the Hyderabad - Mirpur Khas - Khokhrapar - Munabao - Barmer - Luni - Jodhpur - Pali - Marwar and Palanpur.[2] The rail link was destroyed during the War of 1965 and the Sind Mail route ended. On 18 February 2006, it was revived after a period of 41 years. In 2005, Pakistan converted the line from metre gauge to broad gauge, thus enabling the trains to run non stop to and from Karachi. This was not possible earlier because there would be a change of gauge in between, either at Hyderabad or Mirpur Khas. Prior to 1965, the last Pakistani station was Khokhrapar, about 10 kilometers from the border. When the new service began in 2006, Pakistan constructed a new station (Zero Point railway station) a few hundred metres from the border, where immigration and customs checks are carried out now.
Route
The trip takes approximately 12 hours and 15 minutes to cover a published distance of 381 kilometres (237 mi), traveling along a stretch of the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line and Hyderabad–Khokhrapar Branch Line. The train departs every Friday at 23:00 PST and arrives Zero Point near Khokhrapar at 8:00 PST. After custom and visa check, the train arrives at Munabao, India at 11:00 IST. Passengers then have to buy tickets for the Thar Link Express which departs Munabao at 19:00 and arrives at Bhagat Ki Kothi in Jodhpur at 23:50 IST on Saturday. This train runs non stop from the origin to destination[4] From India, the train departs from Bhagat Ki Kothi in Jodhpur every Saturday 1:00 IST and arrives at Munabao (India side) at 7:00 in morning. After customs and visa checks, it leaves Zero Point (Pakistan) at 14:30 and reaches Karachi Cantonment at 2:15 Sunday Morning.
See also
- Samjhauta Express, the only other surviving train between India and Pakistan
References
- ^ IRFCA: Pakistan Railway Train Names Author: Owais Mughal, Retrieved on 1 July 2013
- ^ http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-inter.html
- ^ http://www.geo.tv/12-4-2010/75294.htm
- ^ "Train travel in Pakistan - a beginner's guide". Seat61.com. 17 February 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
External links
 | This article about transport in Pakistan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This Indian rail transport related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |