Thar Express

Thar Express
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
First service18 February 2006 (2006-02-18)
Last serviceAugust 8, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-08-08)
Current operator(s)North Western Railway zone of Indian Railways
& Pakistan Railways
Route
TerminiBhagat Ki Kothi (Jodhpur)
Karachi Cantonment
Stops4
Distance travelled709 kilometres (441 mi)
Average journey time13 hours, 5 minutes
Service frequencyWeekly
On-board services
Class(es)Economy
Sleeping arrangementsNot available
Catering facilitiesNot available
Technical
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

The Thar Express (Hindi: थार एक्सप्रेस, Urdu: تھر ایکسپریس, Rajasthani: थार एक्सप्रेस, Sindhi: ٿر ايڪسپريس) was an international passenger train that ran between the Bhagat Ki Kothi a suburban area of Jodhpur in the Indian State of Rajasthan and Karachi Cantonment of Karachi in the Pakistani Province of Sindh. The name of the train is derived from the Thar Desert a sub-continental desert, which lies in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent and ranks 17th in the world covering an area of 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi).[1]

It's a second train after the Samjhauta Express for direct connectivity between India and Pakistan on the basis of Simla Agreement after the restoring of the Jodhpur–Hyderabad rail route which was closed for 41 years till 2006.[2]

As of 9 August 2019, the Thar Express had been cancelled until further notice due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.[3]

  1. ^ Mughal, Owais (29 October 2004). "Pakistan Railway Train Names". IRFCA. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  2. ^ Rail Agreement of India and Pakistan, Retrieved 20 August 2020
  3. ^ hindustantimes.com, Retrieved 21 August 2020