KARACHI, Feb 17: The Federal Minister for Railways, Shamim Haider, said that the Khokhrapar-Monabao rail-link between Pakistan and India would open up the area for progress and prosperity.

He was speaking at a press conference on Thursday, prior to the commencement of the train service between Pakistan and India via Khokhrapar, the minister termed the opening of this route as a historical event.

It was a big challenge to lay down 145km long broad-gauge track from Mirpurkhas to Zero Point within nine month target as given by President Musharraf as against 18-24 months.

“It is a big achievement of the railways and its employees who carried out a daunting task of laying 135km track from Mirpurkhas to Khokhrapar and an additional 10km from Khokhrapar to Zero Point “, the minister remarked.

He said that the project was completed at an estimated cost of Rs1 billion and informed that seven stations fell on the route from Mirpurkhas to Zero Point, besides, 135 bridges had been constructed and 62 level crossings provided.

Initially the train will run direct to the Zero Point without any stoppages in-between, but later the area will be opened for general public with the train to stop on all the seven stations, the minister added.

He said that since tracks had been newly laid and so were the bridges, the train would move at a speed of 35 to 40km an hour, but eventually it would travel at a speed of 95km/hour.

Mr Haider said that in the laying of track, 22-23 thousand rails and 0.24 million sleepers were used while some 0.22 million tons of material was transported to complete the project - a remarkable achievement in nine months.

He pointed out that initially it had been decided that customs and immigration formalities for India-bound passengers would be carried out at the Khokhrapar Railway Station, but later it was decided to shift these facilities at the Zero Point.

The minister was of the view that opening of this route would help solve the problems of the Karachiites and rest of the Sindh, who earlier had to go to Lahore for India spending 16 hours in journey, but from Karachi to Zero Point it would take only seven hours.

He told journalists that facilities of water, electricity and telephone had been made available which would serve as basic requirements for the opening of the area.

To a question, he said initially the train would carry only India-bound passengers, but eventually the passengers for in-between stations would also be picked up.

The minister informed that for the first Monabao-bound train a total of 337 passengers had been booked with 200 of them being visa holders. He said Indians having valid visa could also go to India from this route.

As regards the composition of train, he said it consisted of 10 coaches including seven economy and one sleeper coach and two for guards and a dozen railways staff which would accompany the train.—APP