Tuesday, January 24 2006 14:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The much awaited Thar Express train service between Munabao in Rajasthan and Khokhrapar in Pakistan slated to commence on February one is likely to be deferred by at least a week as the two countries are yet to finalise modalities of the operations.

"The train is unlikely to run from February one. I presume that it will take at least 15 days more to finalise everything between the two countries," Chairman of Railway Board J P Batra told reporters here.

He said India has asked Pakistan to fix a date for the visit of its delegation to finalise all the modalities.

"We are waiting for it. Our team has to go there to formalise the modalities of the train service" between Rajasthan and Sindh.

The rail link between the two countries was snapped in the wake of the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

Asked about the delay, Batra said, "We are dealing with two different systems. Once we firm up the details, we will go ahead with the plan".

On the demand made by some Pakistani leaders that the proposed train be extended upto Ajmer, he said "let us first start the train. All the other issues can be taken up later".

The two sides had earlier announced that '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.

They had also agreed that an Indian delegation will visit Pakistan later this month for signing an agreement on modalities of running the train.

Services on the century-old route were scheduled to resume from January one this year as part of the confidence building measures but several postponements were necessitated, as the modalities could not be finalised.

The resumption of the second rail link would minimise the journey to five hours from Sindh province of Pakistan to Rajasthan. The two countries have a rail link between Delhi and Lahore, with the last station in India being Attari near the Wagah border in Punjab.

At present, people willing to come to Rajasthan have to travel all the way to Lahore and take the rail or road route to Amritsar or Delhi.