ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: Islamabad and New Delhi will hold the last round of talks here on Monday (Jan 30) to finalize arrangements for the commencement of the “Thar Express” on the Khokhrapar-Munabao route.

Sources say the service is expected to commence from Feb 4, but the final date and schedule will be announced after meeting with the Indian authorities.

An Indian Railways delegation arrived here on Saturday night to sign the agreement between the two states, the official sources told APP.

The sources said, during a recent visit of a Pakistan Railways delegation to India, the two sides had discussed a draft agreement about the modalities of the running of the train. However, they had planned to sign the pact in Islamabad. They also said the Khokhrapar-Munabao train would run every Saturday.

The train from Karachi to Khokhrapar, they said, would reach in seven hours and during this travel, Mirpurkhas railway station would be the main junction.

For the first six months, the Pakistan train will cross into India to Munabao. Then the Indian train will cross into Pakistan to Zero point Railway Station near Khokhrapar.

They said the train service would bring prosperity to a remote area of Sindh. A raft of other benefits such as clean water, electricity, gas and telephone connections will be made available to inhabitants of the area.

With the start of train service between India and Pakistan, employment opportunities will also pick up, according to a source. “We are trying our best to make the railways a public-service institution,” the source said. —APP