Here at the conclusion of two-day parleys, railway officials from the two countries came up with a joint statement, which said that 'Thar Express' would start operating by February 18.
The joint communiqué was inked by Mushtaq Khan Jadoon, Additional Manager (Passengers), leading Pakistan's side and Ashok Gupta, Advisor, Traffic, Indian Railways, who led the Indian delegation in the bilateral talks.
Mushtaq Khan at a crowded news conference said that the two sides had agreed to establish rail link via 'Zero Point' railway station near Khokhrapar (Pakistan) and Munnabao (India).
He said they had also agreed to various technical modalities for the running of the Thar Express, named after famous Thar Desert of Sindh.
The first train, with Pakistani, rake will start on February 18, to run on every Saturday, and would return the same day, Mushtaq said, reading out from the statement.
It will run from Mirpurkhas and pass through the Khokhrapar border on to Munnabao on the Indian side.
He said that the train would have the capacity of 900 to 1000 passengers, but all would depend on how many passengers make reservations with valid required documentation.
He said that only passengers having valid visas would be allowed to travel on the train, and added that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad would issue visas.
Supplementing his answer, Ashok Gupta told newsmen that the setting up of Indian visa consulate in Karachi was in the process. "We are still finalising the modalities in this regard," he added.
Jadoon said that Pakistan train would roll into India to Munabao in the Rajistan state for the first six months, and thereafter the Indian train will cross into Pakistan to the Zero Point railway station, near Khokhrapar.
About ticket fare, the Pakistan delegation head said they have decided to fix Rs 190 fare from Pakistan to India. On the other hand, India would charge around Rs 125 (Indian currency).
He said the rail service would be based on the model of 'Samjohta Express' that runs between Attari and Lahore.
Mushtaq said that railway officials have not taken any significant security measures either for passengers or railway track, as everything would be according to normal routine.
The expansion of the transport links is part of a slow-moving peace process between the South Asian neighbours to ease the long-standing tensions after they almost came to blows once again in 2002.