Pakistani train travels to India in effort for peace
Rival nations resume communication, transportation contacts.
Rail links between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan resumed in mid-January after a two-year suspension with the departure of an India-bound train from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore. The Samjhota Express left Lahore’s historic railway station on Jan. 15, carrying 65 passengers on 10 coaches to the Indian city of Attari, just over the border, according to the Agence France Presse (AFP). Revival of the rail links is the latest move between the two countries to ease long-standing tensions after they edged closer to a fourth war in 2002. “It will provide an economical mode of travel to the people of both countries and boost people-to-people contacts,” Pakistan Railways Chairman Khurshid Khan told AFP. Transport and ambassadorial links were severed in December 2001 in the wake of an attack on India’s parliament, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants. In addition to resumed rail service, Pakistan announced in January that it had offered to host talks with India in March on starting bus services between their respective zones of Kashmir and the cities of Kokhrapar and Munaoao, in the latest sign of warming ties between the two countries. India proposed the bus service in October 2003 as part of a peace process. Pakistan was agreeable to the proposal under the condition that the United Nations (U.N.) control the service, that U.N. personnel man checkpoints on the Line of Control dividing Kashmir and that people traveling on the bus carry U.N. documents, said the AFP.
More Management

OCTA Approves $2 Billion Budget for FY 2026-27, Prioritizing Transit Investments
More than half of the agency’s upcoming spending plan is dedicated to transit as OCTA balances infrastructure investment with fiscal stability.
Read More →
Joshua Schank on Transportation Innovation, Risk, and the Future of Mobility
In this edition of METROspectives, Joshua Schank discusses lessons from launching LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation, the challenges of advancing new mobility technologies, and much more.
Read More →
Reinventing Fleet Maintenance with Real-time Visibility and AI
Transit leaders need to know what needs fixing, where to look, who is responsible, when work is completed, and what it costs without having to chase information across disconnected systems.
Read More →
Alstom Acquires Delaware Site to Support Amtrak NextGen Acela Fleet
The company is investing more than $55 million to acquire and improve the property and will employ approximately 100 people at this site once it is operational.
Read More →
SamTrans Sets Priorities for Potential Connect Bay Area Revenue
The board-approved framework allocates future funding to maintaining service, rider improvements, equity initiatives, and infrastructure repairs.
Read More →
Federal Transit Officials Launch MARTA Safety Probe
FTA has given MARTA 15 days to provide records on crime prevention, fare evasion enforcement, and security funding as part of a broader safety investigation.
Read More →
ABA's Ferguson Testifies in Support of BUS Act, National Standards for Bus Operators
The BUSES Act would create a nationwide framework preventing state and local governments from enforcing bus idling restrictions of less than 15 minutes, a threshold consistent with existing Environmental Protection Agency guidance.
Read More →
When Routine Fails: How Public Transit Must Adapt for the World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will test transit agencies’ ability to manage unpredictable travel patterns, making real-time data and operational flexibility critical to moving millions of visitors efficiently.
Read More →
Florida’s JTA Puts Innovation in Motion Ahead of America250
The agency unveiled a commemorative America250 bus during a visit from U.S. DOT's Seval Oz and showcased its autonomous mobility programs.
Read More →
California Selects Team for Nation’s First True High-Speed Rail Track and Systems Contract
The board action follows completion of track installation at the 150-acre southern railhead in Kern County, which will serve as the staging and distribution hub for high-speed track and systems installation.
Read More →