A decision has been taken to reimplement the Colombo Fort- Malabe light rail project, Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.
According to the Daily News, the government has decided to re-implement the light rail project as a solution to the severe traffic congestion in and around Colombo.
A Cabinet paper to obtain alternative proposals for this was submitted by Minister Prasanna Ranatunga recently.
Minister Ranatunga has pointed out that the train service will help public servants based in Colombo, Malabe, and other suburbs for work to save time and money.
The project was initially slated to commence in 2020 after land acquisition and be completed by mid-2024, with the Japanese government agreeing to provide a loan of US dollars 1,850 million, and financial and technical support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The project was later suspended due to various reasons, including the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.
However, the Japanese government has agreed to recommence the light rail project following bilateral discussions held during the official visit of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to Japan.
The Colombo Fort- Malabe light rail project is proposed to be 16 kilometres in length with 16 stations, enabling travel from Malabe to Colombo- Fort in 30 minutes.
The train service is scheduled to run every four minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes during normal hours. (NewsWire)