Thar Express

Thar Express (Urdu: تهر ایکسپریس‎, Hindi: थार एक्सप्रेस) 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

Karachi Cantonment Railway Station, the starting point of the railway.^[3]

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

External links

• Photos of Mirpur Khas - Khokhrapar train photos at narrow-gauge.co.uk

India–Pakistan relations
Diplomacy	High Commission of India to Pakistan High Commissioner of India to Pakistan High Commission of Pakistan to India High Commissioner of Pakistan to India
Treaties and summits	Jinnah–Mountbatten Talks (1947) Karachi Agreement (1949) Liaquat-Nehru Treaty (1950) Indus Waters Treaty (1960) Tashkent Declaration (1965) Simla Agreement (1972) Delhi Agreement (1974) Islamabad Agreement (1988) Lahore summit (1999) Agra Summit (2002)
Events and conflicts	Partition of India Kashmir conflict Integration of Junagadh 1947-1948 War Sir Creek Operation Gibraltar 1965 War 1971 War Bangladesh Liberation War Pokhran–I Kirana–I Nuclear race Line of Control Maritime trespassing Siachen conflict Operation Brasstacks Missile Gap Pokhran-II / Chagai-I / Chagai-II Violence against Muslims in India Persecution of Hindus in Pakistan Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir Human rights abuses in Azad Kashmir Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Balochistan conflict Kargil conflict Atlantique incident Iran–Pakistan–India gas pipeline 2001 Indian Parliament attack 2001–2002 military standoff 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings 2008 Mumbai attacks 2008 military standoff 2011 border skirmishes 2013 border skirmishes Sarabjit/Sanaullah murder incidents 2013 Pakistan Embassy attack 2014-2015 border skirmishes 2016 Kulbhushan Yadav interception 2016 unrest in Jammu and Kashmir 2016 Uri attack 2016 military confrontation
Initiatives	Aman ki Asha Hotline Transport Samjhauta Express Delhi–Lahore Bus Srinagar–Muzaffarabad Bus Thar Express Indo-Pak Confederation Indo-Pak Joint Judicial Committee Hindi in Pakistan
Sports	India–Pakistan cricket rivalry India–Pakistan field hockey rivalry
Related templates	Foreign relations of India Foreign relations of Pakistan

Railways in Northern India
National network/ trunk lines	Howrah–Delhi main line New Delhi–Chennai main line New Delhi–Mumbai main line Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line Delhi–Jaipur line Jaipur–Ahmedabad line
Branch lines/ sections	Agra–Bhopal section Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Pathankot line Bathinda–Rewari line Bilaspur–Mandi–Leh railway Chandigarh–Sahnewal line Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi–Kalka line Delhi–Meerut–Saharanpur line Delhi–Moradabad line Delhi–Shamli–Saharanpur line Jalandhar–Firozpur line Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Poonch railway line Jodhpur–Bathinda line Kanpur–Delhi section Kashmir Railway Lucknow–Moradabad line Ludhiana–Fazilka line Ludhiana–Jakhal line Marwar Junction–Munabao line Moradabad–Ambala line Mughalsarai–Kanpur section Rewari–Rohtak line Srinagar-Kargil-Leh railway Varanasi–Lucknow main line Varanasi–Rae Bareli–Lucknow line
Urban and suburban rail transport	Delhi Suburban Railway Blue Line (Delhi Metro) Green Line (Delhi Metro) Red Line (Delhi Metro) Violet Line (Delhi Metro) Yellow Line (Delhi Metro) Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Lucknow–Kanpur Suburban Railway Barabanki–Lucknow Suburban Railway Delhi Panipat RRTS Delhi Meerut RRTS Delhi Alwar RRTS
Narrow-gauge railways	Kalka–Shimla Railway Kangra Valley Railway
Abandoned lines	Jammu–Sialkot Line
Monorails	Patiala State Monorail Trainways (abandoned)
Named trains	Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Ajmer Jammu Express Dayodaya Ajmer–Jabalpur Superfast Express Akal Takht Express Amritsar Mail Ananya Express Andaman Express Andhra Pradesh Express Anand Vihar Muzaffarpur Garib Rath Express Assam Mail Bagh Express Lucknow Bhopal Garibrath Express Bhopal–Jaipur Express Bhopal–Jodhpur Passenger Bhopal–Lucknow Express Bhopal–Lucknow–Pratapgarh Express Brahmaputra Mail Chambal Express Chennai Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Chhattisgarh Express Chitrakoot Express Damoh–Kota Passenger Dayodaya Express Doon Express Durgavati Express Faizabad Delhi Express Faizabad Superfast Express Ganga Kaveri Express Goa Express Godaan Express Golden Temple Mail Gondwana Express Grand Trunk Express Pune–Manduadih Gyan Ganga Express Himalayan Queen Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah – New Delhi Duronto Express Howrah New Delhi Yuva Express Indore Express Indore–Chandigarh Express Indore–Dehradun Express Indore–Hazrat Nizamuddin Express Indore–Patna Express Indore – Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express Indore–Ajmer Express Indore–Ajmer Link Express Indore–Amritsar Express Indore–Jaipur Express Indore–Jaipur Express via Ajmer Indore–Kota Intercity Express Indore–Udaipur City Express Jabalpur–Jammu Tawi Express Jabalpur–New Delhi Express Jaipur Superfast Express Jammu Tawi – Indore Express Jhelum Express Kaifiyat Express Kalinga Utkal Express Kalka Mail Kanpur Allahabad Intercity Kanpur Varanasi InterCity Kashi Vishwanath Express Kerala Express Kongu Express Kushinagar Express Lashkar Express Lucknow Mail Magadh Express Mahabodhi express Mahakoshal Express Mahanagari Express Mahananda Express Malwa Express Mandore Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Secunderabad Express Marusagar Express Matsyaganda Express Mewar Express Mithila Express Muzaffarpur Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express Navyug Express Neelachal Express Kalka New Delhi Shatabdi Express New Jalpaiguri - New Delhi SF Express North East Express Patalkot Express Patna–Kota Express Poorva Express Pratham Swatrantata Sangrm Express Prayagraj Express Punjab Mail Purushottam Express Pushpak Express Rajendra Nagar Patna – Indore Express Rajendranagar Express Ranthambore Express Raptisagar Express Sabarmati Express Sachkhand Express Saket Express Samata Express Samjhauta Express Sampoorna Kranti Express Sanghamithra Express Sapt Kranti Express Sealdah Rajdhani Express Sealdah – New Delhi Duronto Express Shaan-e-Bhopal Express Shalimar Express Shipra Express Shiv Ganga Express Shram Shakti Express Shramjeevi Express Taj Express Tamil Nadu Express Thar Express Thirukural Express Tirhut Express Udhna Varanasi Express Ujjaini Express Utsarg Express Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Vaishali Express Vikramshila Express West Bengal Sampark Kranti Express
Manufacturing units and workshops	Diesel Locomotive Works Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory, Raebareli
Railway companies	Northern Railway North Eastern Railway North Central Railway North Western Railway East Indian Railway Company Rajputana–Malwa Railway Tirhut Railway Oudh and Tirhut Railway Indian Branch Railway Company Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Cawnpore–Burhwal Railway Cawnpore–Barabanki Railway Lucknow–Bareilly Railway Bengal and North Western Railway Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway Mashrak-Thawe Extension Railway Lucknow–Sitapur–Seramow Provincial State Railway Bareilly–Pilibheet Provincial State Railway Segowlie-Raxaul Railway Delhi Metro Rail Corporation National Capital Region Transport Corporation
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) 1974 railway strike in India
Railways in India portal