Friday, January 6 2006 20:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The 'Thar Express' train will roll on February one from Munabao in Rajasthan to Khokhrapar in Sindh bridging the four-decade old divide between people of India and Pakistan, marking another significant step in the ongoing peace process.

The decision to commence the rail service in the 2.5 kms stretch between Munabao and Zero Point in the Pakistan border was taken at the two-day meeting of Railway delegations of the two countries here to finalise the modalities for operationalising it.

"Initially, it will be a weekly service," the Indian delegation leader Ashok Gupta, Adviser (Traffic), Railway Ministry, told reporters, adding depending on the traffic, the decision on frequency would be reviewed.

Rail links between Munabao and Khokhrapar were snapped in 1965 in the wake of the Indo-Pak conflict.

Gupta said the rake for the service would be provided alternatively by Indian and Pakistan Railways on a six-monthly basis.

For the first six months, the Pakistan train will cross into India. There after, the Indian train will cross into Pakistan to Zero Point Railway station near Khokhrapar.

An Indian delegation will visit Pakistan later this month for signing an agreement on modalities of running the train, Gupta said.