By Pabodha Hettige
The Department of Railways says that plans are afoot to enhance transportation of goods by train to boost the income of the department.
"This initiative will be carried out in collaboration with the private sector; the compartments of the freight trains will be leased out," Planning Director of the Department of Railways, Wijaya Samarasinghe said.
A feasibility study would be carried out with the leasing out of Colombo- Kurunegala freight train. Depending on the success of the system, leasing of all freight trains to the private sector would be carried out countrywide, he said.
Once the plan was implemented the department would also lease out the stores complexes to the private sector, he said.
Samarasinghe also said that several new railway lines connecting rural villages are under construction. These include rail lines from Kurunegala to Dambulla via Habarana, Badulla to Wellawaya via Bibile, Medawachchiya to Trincomalee and Avissawella to Hambantota.
Last year the department carried out a feasibility study to construct a railway line from Kottawa to Horana.
"The report of the feasibility study has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Planning for approval," Samarasinghe said.
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