KARACHI, July 7: The departure of the Thar Express which shuttles between Sindh and Rajasthan has once again been postponed by 24 hours at the request of the Indian railway authorities.

Railway officials said here on Saturday that the train carrying 610 passengers could not depart on its scheduled time for Munabao as Indian authorities said that a portion of the railway tracks in Jodhpur had been submerged by floodwater due to a breach in Jaswant Sagar.

Pakistani Railway (PR) authorities then postponed the Thar Express on Friday by 24 hours and requested the passengers, most of them on board the train, to disembark and go back to their homes. Many passengers arrived at the station the next day and many also telephoned the PR to inquire whether the train would depart on Saturday, but they were again informed by railway authorities that the journey had been delayed by another 24 hours.

“The train service was postponed at the request of the Indian side as the portion of tracks is under water. As soon as the Indian authorities give us the green signal, we will send the train,” a senior official said.

Railway officials here said the train service might not resume immediately since work on the India side to clear and repair the tracks was still in progress.

A senior officer told Dawn that arrangements had been made to facilitate the passengers at the Karachi city railway station. —Staff Correspondent