Medawachchiya - Madhu Road train service inaugurated

Minister for Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa, together with the Minister of Transport, Kumara Welgama, inaugurated the long awaited train services on the Medawachchiya - Madhu road segment of the Northern Railway Track on May 14.

This segment which covers a distance of 43 kms of the 252 km project was completed on schedule by Ircon International, a government of India undertaking. In Sri Lanka for the inauguration was Mohan Tiwari, Chairman & Managing Director of Ircon International India, who flew down very specially for the occasion. Amongst the other distinguished guests were Ashok K Kantha, High Commissioner of India, Douglas Devananda Minister for Traditional Enterprises and Small Industries Development, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Rohana Dissanayake, Minister for Industry & Commerce, Rishard Badurdeen, B A P Ariyaratne, General Manager, Sri Lanka Railways, S L Gupta, General Manager, Ircon and other Sri Lankan and Indian dignitaries and officials who participated in the religious ceremonies and gala celebrations that were held at the Madhu road railway station yard.

The distinguished guests undertook a train journey which commenced from the Anuradhapura railway station to Madhu road before the inaugural ceremony. The ministers and other guests boarded the train at the auspicious hour on Tuesday at the Anuradhapura station after participating in religious rites of all faiths. The decorated train started its journey from Anuradhapura station at 9.30 am and proceeded towards Madhu road. It was an exciting and poignant journey for both onlookers as well as the distinguished commuters as it marked the beginning of a new chapter for Sri Lanka Railways as well as the public, whilst further cementing Indo Lanka relations. On its arrival at Medawachchiya, large crowds were seen at the railway station waiting to get a glimpse of this historic moment.

The train reached Madhu Road at 11 hours to be greeted by yet another large gathering, where the Ministers along with the Indian High Commissioner unveiled a plaque at the newly constructed Madhu road station platform and thereafter proceeded to hoist the flags of their respective countries, followed by the playing of both the Sri Lankan and Indian National Anthems.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa, speaking on the occasion said this was the fulfillment of the President's vision of bringing peace and prosperity to people of all communities in Sri Lanka.

The public turned out in their thousands to witness the inauguration ceremony at the Madhu station yard, all of whom have been anxiously waiting for this railway line to be operational for the last 23 years. Subsequent to the distinguished guests lighting the traditional oil lamp, the track was handed over to the Sri Lanka Railways and dedicated to the people of Sri Lanka. The large crowds present were unanimous in their approval of the newly constructed track and said they were eagerly awaiting restoration of the railway lines and expected the remaining length under construction also to be completed without any delays. The public in and around Madhu expressed their profound happiness on the completion of the first segment of Medawachchiya - Talaimannar line well ahead of the Madhu Church festival in August. Gift packs were also handed out to the crowd present and the days ceremonies concluded with a musical show.

The reconstructed track is a 43 km long segment in the prestigious Northern Railway Line projects covering a total length of 252 km. The project is funded by the Government of India under the Indian Line of Credit. The projects are being executed by Ircon International Limited (A Government of India undertaking) and the segment now dedicated to the public of Sri Lanka, which was constructed at a total cost of US $ 81.3 million, was completed as per schedule.

The reconstructed railway track is a modern Railway line with a designed speed potential of 120 kmph and a smooth and comfortable riding quality. Rail joints have been minimized using the most modern welding technology. Concrete sleepers have been used to lay the track, instead of traditional wooden sleepers to ensure durable and stronger tracks, simultaneously helping to preserve the environment. CMS (Cast Manganese Steel) crossings with standard turnouts, long welded rails with switch expansion joints, panel interlocking, flash butt welding, etc. have been incorporated to provide a long lasting track, with minimal maintenance effort.

General Manager Ircon International, S L Gupta, expressed his appreciation of the positive business atmosphere and working culture prevailing in Sri Lanka today. "For the completion of the project, we used manpower both from India and Sri Lanka. For the highly sophisticated track construction operations, specialized agencies and machines of Indian Railway were used.

We took care to generate employment for the local population and approximately 1,000 local employees directly and 2,500 Sri Lankans indirectly are employed for these projects".

The railway tracks from Omanthai to Kankasanthurai and Medawachiya to Talaimannar Pier were completely destroyed during the devastating civil war, with train traffic being terminated for the last 23 years. "The Government of India has extended its support to the Government of Sri Lanka to rebuild these tracks according to modern specifications. The total length of reconstruction is 252 km at an envisaged cost of US $ 650 million which will be completed in phases".

Mohan Tiwari, Chairman & Managing Director of Ircon International Limited confirmed that the other segments of the project are also progressing well and were expected to be completed as per the stipulated schedule. He further announced that it was their intention to open the Omanthai - Kilinochchi section of 62 kms by July 2013.