Southern railway line re-opens today
Ridma DISSANAYAKE
'The reconstructed Southern coastal railway line from Colombo to
Matara will open today,' Sri Lanka Railways Planning Director Wiyaya
Samarasinghe said.
The modernized railway line is Sri Lanka's first high speed line and
it will allow trains to run at speeds of 100 kilometres per hour.
The Southern coastal line was reconstructed in three stages. The
Indian government had provided USD 168 million to implement the
comprehensive project for upgrading the Colombo-Galle-Matara coastal
railway track. Construction of the 42 kilometre railway line between
Galle and Matara was completed in February 2011 at a cost of USD 36
million. The construction of the railway line between Galle and
Aluthgama was completed during the second phase of this development
project. The stretch of line from Aluthgama to Galle has been closed for
renovation since July 2011.
Development activities of the railway track from Aluthgama to
Kalutara South was completed during the third stage of this project.
Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) was entrusted
with the construction work. The Railways Department said that
modernisation of the track will shorten the current travelling time from
Colombo to Matara from 3 hours and 40 minutes to two hours with the
operation of high speed trains.
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