KARACHI, June 12: The federal government has directed the railways to curtail the number of passengers travelling through the Thar Express from June 30, it is reliably learnt.

According to sources, after June 30, only the passengers having reserved seats would be allowed to travel through this train.

Only 366 seats, 55 of them in the first class, would be available in the seven-coach train which has two first class and five economy class coaches.

The sources said that the Thar Express, a train service revived only a few months backs after 40 years, has become an instant success because of its shortest route to India. It is popular among the people of Sindh and the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat as most of the people usually travelling across the Pakistan-India border live in these areas. Cost of ticket is also as little as Rs1,500 for a journey between Karachi and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) or Jaipur (Rajasthan) as against the air fare of over Rs20,000.

The popularity of the Thar Express could be gauged from the fact that the last train that left Karachi on June 9 for Zero Point – the newly constructed station at the border – took 1,047 passengers and the overcrowding led to scuffles between passengers and railway staff at Mirpurkhas.

The governments of both the countries should try to increase its frequency from once to twice or even thrice a week, travelling passengers said.

Officials said that the agreement signed by the two governments in this regard did provide for such an increase with mutual consent. Besides, the number of coaches per train and even the number of trains could also be increased.

The sources said that the railway authorities were also making efforts for the posting of a doctor at Zero Point so that medical assistance could be provided to anyone falling sick or in case of an emergency. At present, a lab assistant, has been deputed there by a local NGO for whatever service he could provide to passengers.

It may be mentioned here that a passenger, a resident of Karachi, had died of cardiac arrest at Munabao on June 3, probably without getting proper medical care.

The railway sources claimed that male and female doctors had now been posted at Munabao and similar arrangements would be made at Zero Point.

According to the sources, four coolies were caught overcharging while dealing with passengers. They had been debarred and their contractor, who had got the contract for Rs560,000 per year, had also been fined twice. The coolies fleece passengers by charging Rs500 to Rs3,000 as against their approved rate of Rs20 per 40kg per trip.