Sri Lanka Railways Forum

The Railways Department will implement a special security plan from today to provide additional protection to the commuters and railway property in view of the prevailing terrorist threat.

The Department recruited 130 officers with experience in the police and the security forces to the Railway Protection Force to be attached to the main railway stations island wide.

Police and the security forces would provide protection to other smaller stations. The Railway Protection Force, police and the security forces are carrying out continual search operations at the railway stations and in the passenger trains.

Source: Dailymirror

The JVP affiliated National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) called on the government to reduce railway fares immediately or face serious consequences.

Following the recent fuel price hike railway fares were increased by over 100% and NTUC has urged the government to reduce the fares and reinstate the facilities given to railway employees.

President NTUC and JVP parliamentarian K.D. Lalkantha at a media briefing said that the latest railway fare hike has burdened the railway commuters as the fares have increased by over 100%.

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The Railways Department will operate a special train service from Matara to Mihintale on June 17 for pilgrims travelling to the sacred city for the Poson festival.

According to the Transport Ministry, the free train service named Sadaham Charika will commence from Matara at 7 pm on the day before the Poson Full Moom Poya (June 17) and leave Mihintale at 10 pm the following day for Colombo Fort.

Arrangements have been made to provide pilgrims with tea and other beverages at main railway stations, while Buddhist monks will chant Pirith throughout the journey.

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Nearly 90 per cent of Sri Lankans use public transport and as far as energy requirements are concerned there is an overdependence on thermal power. Sri Lanka has almost reached the maximum capacity of power generation through hydro resources.

It is estimated that by 2010 the electricity demands will rise up to 2610 MW and it is envisaged to meet 10 per cent of the corresponding energy demands through renewable energy sources, Power and Energy Minister W.D.J.Seneviratne said at the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka Centenary Celebration held in Colombo recently.

Minister Seneviratne addressing a large gathering said that Sri Lanka was still dependent on hydro power, but to cater to needs ever growing electricity consumers 65 per cent of electricity was being generated through fuel. Fuel consumption for electricity generation had now become a serious problem as price escalation of crude oil in the World Market had seen an upward trend.

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Commuters are up in arms against increased transport costs and are calling for an immediate reduction in rail fare. Commuters’ organisations protested against the massive fare increase by the CGR at the Fort railway station last week.

The recent fare increase by the CGR is a serious blow to commuters, specially government and private sector workers who travel to Colombo daily. They said that fares have increased by 60-300%.

Over a considerable period of time railway commuters enjoyed a massive subsidy on their tickets, specially those travelling on season tickets. Commuters’ organisations said that season ticket fares have increased by 300%.

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An electrified train could be operated by less than 70% of the present operational cost of the diesel engines, Dr. Thilak Siyambalapitiya disclosed at the launch of the book the Air, Maritime and Rail Transportation in Sri Lanka by the Engineers Institute of Engineers of Sri Lanka (IESL), Colombo, recently.

Dr. Siyambalapitiya during his presentation on Railway Electrification in Sri Lanka at the book launch pointed out that by using locally available material and expertise electrification of the 65 km stretch of the railway line between Veyangoda and Panadura could be done at a cost as low as three billion rupees or 30 million US dollars.

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The train service is set for a faster run from August with the Government deciding to add 35 new power sets to the Railways Department’s existing fleet.

Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said the new power sets will be added to the service within 18 months commencing from August, increasing the number of power sets from 29 to 64.

“The new power sets will be used for operations in the rail network from Aluthgama to Polgahawela and on the Kelanivalley line where commuters face congestion. It is after 12 years that the service is receiving new power sets,” he said.

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