Thar Express likely to resume in January

The Thar Express between India and Pakistan, which was suspended in August following flash floods in Rajasthan's Barmer district, may resume in January. The Jodhpur-Barmer railway section on the train's route that has been closed for the past three months due to water-logging is expected to be cleared by the first or second week of January, General Manager of North Western Railway (NWR) S B Bhattacharya said. The Kawas railway station between the two cities in Rajasthan is still under three feet of water, but it is receding fast. Once the damaged tracks are restored completely, NWR hopes to resume services of Thar Express and other trains on the section by the end of January, he said.

"Railway track restoration work commenced in October after floodwaters receded between Barmer and Gypsum halt and about 1.5 kilometer track has been repaired," he said. The NWR has been losing around Rs 30,000 per day as a result of suspension of rail traffic on this route and the losses are expected to touch Rs 1 crore before it is restored. The restoration work is expected to cost around Rs 50 lakh. The Thar Express was suspended in August end following massive flooding in western Rajasthan districts and after only one service run by Indian authorities. Asked about the possibility of a goods train between the two countries, Bhattacharya said it such a move would be cost-effective and time saving.

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