NEW DELHI, May 6: A team from the Indian railways arrived at Attari station on Tuesday, as preparations began to resume rail services to Pakistan.

The Samjhauta Express, between Attari, India, and Wagah, in Pakistan, is the oldest and most popular mode of transport between the two countries. With a one-way second-class ticket costing just 150 rupees, it is also the cheapest.

There has been an uneasy silence at Attari station for nearly 16 months, after rail, road and air links between Pakistan and India snapped on Jan 1 last year.

The move followed the Dec 13, 2001, attack on the Indian parliament, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-backed militants.

Recent promises of peace from leaders in both countries has renewed the hope that the train service will start soon, New Delhi Television (NDTV) said on Tuesday.

A local political leader in Attari told NDTV: “Everyone at Attari - students, shopkeepers and labourers - are waiting for the train to start. People are jobless here, as without the train there is nothing for them to do.”

People in this sleepy border town said the Samjhauta Express, which began in 1976, was their lifeline. Every year, over 100,000 people would use the train, either on business trips or to meet family.

A shrine next to Attari station was a popular halt for travellers from both sides of the border. Now, no one prays here. The priest told NDTV: “We want the train to start. Our livelihood depends on it. The train gets people food.”

Tearful goodbyes were said on Dec 31, 2001, when the last train chugged out of Attari station. Now people on both sides of the border hope they will see their relatives again soon. —dpa