Irangika Range
The renovated high-speed coastal railway track from Matara to Colombo will be opened by April this year, Transport Minister Kumara Welgama told the Daily News.
This is Sri Lanka’s first high speed railway line where locomotives can operate up to 100 kilometres per hour.
The public will be able to travel from Colombo Fort to Matara within two hours with the completion of the modernization of the coastal railway line.
The current travel time is over three hours, the minister said.
He said the reconstructed Galle-Matara segment under the first phase was opened last February for high-speed passenger train transport.
The second phase of construction between Galle and Aluthgama is in progress and the modernized segment will be opened on February 20 this year.
The construction work on the third phase from Aluthgama to Kalutara commenced yesterday and is expected to be completed within the next two months.
The Indian government has pledged US$ 168 million to implement the comprehensive project for upgrading the Colombo-Galle-Matara coastal railway track which was handled by IRCON, an Indian company.
The project covers upgrading the tracks, bridges, signals and new passenger trains. When completed, the revamped coastal railway-line system will substantially improve the rail services on the Colombo-Galle-Matara section.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/01/02/news20.asp
No comments:
Post a Comment