The government plans to introduce an online system for private sector employees to obtain railway season tickets from September, Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake said.
The Minister said the facility would be extended to all private sector employees after an online system was recently introduced for government employees, replacing a process that had remained largely unchanged for decades.
He said passengers previously had to queue and obtain letters from their workplaces as part of the process of securing railway season tickets.
Rathnayake acknowledged that the railway service continues to face significant shortcomings, with passengers demanding more trains, improved punctuality and better facilities onboard.
However, he said addressing these issues would take considerable time, particularly as purchasing new locomotives, repairing existing locomotives and upgrading railway tracks are long-term processes that had not been initiated at the appropriate time in the past.
The Minister also acknowledged management and institutional shortcomings within the Railways Department that need to be addressed to provide a better service.
In the meantime, he said the government would continue with improvements that could be implemented more quickly, including upgrading facilities at railway stations, with several improved stations expected to be opened to the public in the near future.
“We cannot make major changes to the railway rapidly, but we will continue to introduce improvements and facilities,” Rathnayake said. (Newswire)