A consignment of 10,000 railway tracks that had been delayed due to the conflict in the Middle East arrived at the Colombo Port on Aug. 23 (Sunday) and is currently being unloaded, according to Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development.
Around 5,000 of the tracks are expected to be used to rehabilitate sections of the Coastal Railway Line where speed restrictions are currently in place.
Plans are underway to replace railway tracks at nearly 50 locations between Colombo Fort and Panadura. The rehabilitation work is expected to take around six months.
Around Rs. 2,000 million in local funds has been allocated for the purchase of the railway tracks.
Authorities are also taking steps to carry out the construction and rehabilitation of railway bridges alongside the track rehabilitation work.
The improvements are expected to significantly reduce the daily delays affecting trains operating on the Coastal Railway Line once the work is completed. (Newswire)