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Korean aid for upgrading Kelani Valley line

COLOMBO: The South Korean Government has pledged to upgrade the 60 Km Kelani Valley railway line to the standards of one of the most developed railway lines in the world.

This follows a proposal submitted to Korean railway authorities by Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma during his official visit to South Korea to participate in and international railway exhibition in Busan on the invitation of the South Korean Government.

On the intervention of the Korean aid agency KOTRA, the representatives from the Buyucksan company, a world-renowned company for the construction of railway lines are due to come to Sri Lanka in mid-June to conduct a preliminary survey on the Kelani Valley railway line, a Transport Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.

During discussions between Alahapperuma and company officials, Korean authorities have pledged to meet the expenditure for the preliminary survey and situation reports.

According to the Minister, the Kelani Valley railway line transports nearly 30,000 commuters daily from cities such as Avissawella, Homagama, Kottawa and Maharagama to Colombo.

"If steps are taken to turn the Kelani Valley railway line into a more efficient transport service, there is a possibility of attracting three times more commuters."

The Minister is confident that the Government will commence the remarkable transformation of Sri Lankan railway service from the Kelani Valley railway line.

The Minister's proposal submitted to Korean authorities envisages the development of the Kelani Valley railway line as one of the world's best railway lines. It will have a double line track up to Homagama, a new signal system and new ticketing system. Speed limits will be removed and unauthorised constructions will be dismantled.

The Minister said: "The Sri Lankan Railway Department which commenced in 1864 can learn many lessons from the Korean railway service established in 1924. It is regrettable that the Sri Lankan railway service has been dragged backwards by several decades due inefficiency, fraud and various wrong political decisions taken from time to time."

During the exhibition, Minister Alahapperuma met and exchanged views with Railway Heads from several leading countries such as Russia, Germany and Brazil which have highly developed railway services.

The Minister intends to utilise the knowledge and experience obtained from this visit to develop the Sri Lankan railway service.

 

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