Romanian aid for Railways upgrade

Jayasiri Munasinghe

A four year program to upgrade the Railways will be implemented with Romanian aid to offer a streamlined service to the public in keeping with international standards.

The program which is now awaiting Government approval, envisages the repair and refurbishment of Romanian railway compartments now lying idle, to suit commuter demand thus saving a large amount of foreign exchange involved in importing new wagons and compartments.

The program has been drawn up following President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s directives to Transport Minister, Dullas Alahapperuma to create a favourable environment for more people to travel by train comfortably to reduce the problems and travails of the travelling public and also enhance railway revenue.

Transport Ministry sources said a minimum 600 additional compartments were needed to offer a decent rail transport system to the public.

Under the proposed program, a new workshop for refurbishing rail compartments would be set up with Romanian aid. The technology, consultancy services and raw material would be provided by Romania under the agreement.

The workshop project would also provide employment opportunities for a sizeable number of trained mechanics and workers. The new program has been drawn up on the initiative of Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma who has won accolades from the Cabinet of Ministers for his untiring efforts to improve the country’s transport services.