June 23, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1428

LAHORE, June 22: Paucity of seats in the Samjhota Express continues to create hardships for passengers, especially the Indians, as the Pakistan Railways is yet to initiate any measures to inform them about the introduction of reservation system for the international train.

Samjhota Express has a seating capacity of 576 and after the Panipat tragedy, the Pakistan Railways decided to hand over to the Rangers the control of the security of the train from Lahore to the Wagah railway station and vice versa.

The Pakistan Railways also decided to stop the issuance of tickets more than the seating capacity of the international train as against the past practice. Visas of some 45 or so passengers, who could not board the Atari-bound Samjhota Express on Monday, expired. Almost all of them had been living at the waiting rooms of the Lahore railway station since then as either they have no acquaintance in the Punjab capital or have run short of Pakistani currency, head of an affected family told this reporter.

“The railway authorities could display notices about the decision at least at the Lahore railway station. We were quite unaware about it and reached here on the last day of our visas expiry date but by then there was no room in the train. We only had as much Pakistani currency that would have been enough to buy tickets,” said the resident of New Delhi who wished not to be named.

A senior officer at the Railways headquarters in Lahore told Dawn that preference would be given to such passengers in next Atari-bound.

The Samjhota Express resumed its once-a-week operation after a break of two years on Jan 15, 2004. The train started running between Lahore and Atari on Mondays and Thursdays from Nov 28 the following year.

The frequency of the train operation was enhanced keeping in view the increased number of passengers under a five-year agreement signed between Pakistan and Indian railway authorities in the third week of December 2003.

At present, Samjhota Express comes from Atari on Mondays and Thursdays and leaves Lahore on Tuesdays and Fridays. The 401-up reaches Wagha border at 11.30am and arrives at Lahore at 2.10pm. The 402-Down leaves Lahore at 8.35am, reaches Wagha after 35 minutes and starts its journey to Atari at 11.30am. Based upon Pakistan Standard Time, the train rarely follows the schedule owing to security and customs clearance.