Jaipur:  The Thar Express, the train connecting India and Pakistan across the Rajasthan border that was stopped last year following floods in the Indian state, is expected to resume running in March.

The train, which starts from Jodhpur and travels through Barmer district to enter Khokhrapar in Pakistan, was stopped in the third week of August last year following flash floods in Barmer district which flooded the rail tracks. 

"We have started repair and restoration work of the tracks and are hopeful of completing it soon," A.K. Khanna, a divisional railway manager, told IANS over telephone.

"We are scheduled to restart services by the first week of March but there are chances that we may be able to restart the services in the third week of February. The position would be clear in the next two-three days," Khanna said.

According to the official, almost 700 meters of the track are still submerged under four inches of water.

The Barmer region, which usually receives 277 mm of rain in a year on an average, recorded 575 mm last year. Over 100 people had lost their lives and property and agriculture crop worth millions of rupees were washed away.