June 14th, 2009
The restoration of the northern rail track will be extended up to Omanthai and construction work will be completed within three months before the first week of September, said Transport Ministry Media Secretary Sumith Weerasingha.
People in the Galle district under the patronage of Social Welfare and Social Services Deputy Minister Lionel Premasiri helped in the construction work at the Omanthai railway station which is now in progress.
The Army had agreed to construct the railway track bed from Kankesanthurai to the south towards Vavuniya, he said. The Colombo Railway Station Suprintendent Nimal Jayasingha said that the Uturu Mithuru thousand-rupee special ticket will initially be made available at selected railway stations islandwide soon. He said people buy the ticket as a souvenir as well as to support the Uturu Mithuru project. It is estimated that around Rs. 14 billion is needed to restore the entire rail track.
Source: The Sunday Observer
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June 12th, 2009
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June 12th, 2009
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June 9th, 2009
May 24, 2009 (Times) – The song titled ‘Kinihiren Negena Rawaya’ (The Sound of the Anvil) , the theme song for Sri Lanka Railway was launched recently for the very first time in 145 year history of Sri Lanka Railway.
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| Sarath Goonawardene. |
The song was written and composed by Sarath Goonawardene, who is a technical officer in the Bridge Engineering division of (SLR) Sri Lanka Railway. He was apast President of Moratuwa Arts Forum(MAF).
Since 1864, Sri Lanka Railway has a great history, being the major media of public passenger and freight transportation.
In view of improve the morale of their employer and staff there is a mission statement circularized by the General Manager of Railways ‘Provision of a safe reliable and punctual rail transport Service economically and efficiently’.
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June 8th, 2009
May 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run railway needs to charge higher fares and compete with road transport on a level playing field in order to avoid losses, its general manager Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said.
He said he was trying to turnaround Sri Lanka Railways through changes in fares and better management. The department has recommended a fare hike but it depends on government policy, he said.
Gunaruwan said the rate per passenger kilometre charged by the railway was less than that charged by the private and public bus services. “It means we’re transporting people at a much lower fare than buses,” Gunaruwan told LBO in an interview at the opening of a workshop to repair goods wagons.
He also noted that bus operators do not have to pay for the maintenance of transport infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and signals which cost is borne by different government departments. “For buses, the use of infrastructure is free of charge,” Gunaruwan said.
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June 8th, 2009
April 28, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run railway service has started a goods wagon repair workshop aimed at improving maintenance and more carriage of freight in order to increase revenues, senior officials said.
Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma said the government wants to reverse years of neglect of the railway that has reduced it to making heavy annual losses and make it more efficient and able to cover costs.
“Our aim is to revive freight transport by rail,” he said in a speech at the opening of the new repair facility at the main rail yard of Sri Lanka Railway, formerly known as CGR (Ceylon Government Railway).
“The world over, most freight is moved by rail. So we decided to give priority to the movement of goods by rail.”
Two inland container depots are being planned in the suburbs of Sapugaskanda and Ratmalana, north and south of the capital Colombo.
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June 8th, 2009
April 15, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s over-staffed and inefficient state-owned railway service made heavy losses in 2008 despite higher revenues after fare increases, the central bank said.
Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) made a loss of 4,553 million rupees in 2008, up six percent from a year ago. The total revenue of the SLR increased 22.4 percent to 3,671 million rupees, while spending increased by 12.7 percent to 8,225 million.
Despite the heavy losses and poor service, workers in the state transport sector remain a pampered lot, even getting subsidised travel on their own loss-making services, while constantly demand more pay and perks.
Government officials told reporters last May when the fare hikes were announced that the state railway had 17,000 employees who enjoyed discounted season tickets and paid only three cents a passenger kilometre.
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June 7th, 2009
The Sri Lanka government today laid the foundation stone for a new railway station in Omanthai, several kilometers past Vavuniya.
The estimated cost for the Omanthai rail station is Rs. 20 million. It will be constructed with the assistance of the people of Galle and its suburbs, the Transport Ministry confirmed.
The Sri Lanka government expects to construct the station with new technologies especially for the benefit of the disabled, including TV announcements of train times and Braille facilities.
The chief guests at this historic event were Transport Minister Dullas Alahaperuma and Deputy Minister for Social Services and Welfare Lionel Premasiri.
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