Coastal railway line:

Work on Matara-Weligama section complete

Irangika Range

Rehabilitation work in connection with phase one of the coastal railway line from Matara to Weligama section has been completed.

Transport Minister Kumara Welgama ordered the upgrading of the coastal railway line from Galle to Matara section at Weligama last August. Accordingly, the rail track from Matara to Weligama (14km) has been rebuilt with new concrete sleepers and new tracks, while a new and advanced signal system too was installed.

IRCON which is a leading company in railway infrastructure in India who undertook the rehabilitation had assured that it would complete all the construction work ahead of schedule. The Indian Government has provided US $ 76 million to Sri Lanka to implement the first phase between Galle and Matara (27 kms) which is expected to be completed at the end of this year.

The Minister said a special drainage system to remove water from railway track has been constructed under this project.

When completed, the revamped coastal railway-line system will substantially improve the rail services on the Colombo-Galle-Matara section and result in higher average speeds and an increased number of train services.

Once the construction is completed, the Railways Department will operate trains on the coastal railway line at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour cutting down on the current travel time of four hours. The Minister said that the coastal railway line upgrading project covers upgrading the tracks, bridges, signaling and introduction of new passenger trains. The latest technology used to fix concrete sleepers will prevent robbers from removing them.

He also said that the reconstruction of transport-related infrastructure would generate and support livelihood-related activities and assist in restoring connectivity. Meanwhile, the train service between Galle and Matara has been suspended due to the upgrading of the railway track and Transport Minister Kumara Welgama has instructed the relevant officials to expedite the work on this section of the track. The Minister said that the railway line from Galle to Kalutara and Kalutara to Colombo will be upgraded under the second and third phases respectively.