Sri Lanka Railways Forum

The Sri Lanka Railways will run trains and powersets using bio-diesel by 2010 to curtail the drain on foreign exchange to import petroleum products, Transport Minister, Dullas Alahapperuma said yesterday.

The main source of producing bio-diesel will be Weta Endaru (Jetropha) which would be grown along the railway reservations on either side of the 1200 kilometre-long railway line.

At least 20% of the fuel needed to run powersets and trains would come from bio-diesel under this project, Minister Alahapperuma said.

The bio-diesel project of the SLR would be monitored by a committee headed by Professor of Chemistry Jeewantha Premaratne and Chemistry lecturer at the Peradeniya University, C.S. Kalpage. The project would be unveiled on July 23, Minister Alahapperuma said.

“Our objective is to run all trains and powersets only on bio-diesel as early as possible. We cannot afford the annual fuel bill that stands around at Rs. 250 million. If the SLR could depend fully on bio-diesel it will be a blessing to the country and a relief to the government coffers,” Minister Alahapperuma said. On successful implementation of this project it would let Railway to run on bio-diesel from 2010 not be necessary for the SLR to increase rail fares, he added.  

By Sandun A. Jayasekera

Source: Dailymirror

Tags: foreign exchange, fuel bill, government coffers, implementation, jetropha, main source, objective, peradeniya university, petroleum products, rail fares, railway line, rs 250, slr, sri lanka railways, trains, transport minister

                            

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