Railway mulls express line to South

BY RAJMI Manatunga

THE Railways Department is exploring the possibility of constructing a new express railway line to the South.

A Department spokesman told the Daily News that the proposed express railway line is expected to reduce travel time from Colombo to Matara to two hours.

According to the proposal which is yet to be finalised, a 160 kilometre long rail track where trains could be operated at 100 kilometres per hour will be built from the capital to Matara.

The spokesman said that several foreign investors including two Indian and Austrian companies have expressed interest in the venture.

The need for a railway line within the country to the South arose after the December 26 tsunami disaster which caused severe damage to the coastal railway line.

According to initial estimates, the construction of one kilometre of the proposed railway line is expected to cost around Rs. 50 million.