Renovated high speed coastal railway track in Sri Lanka to open today

Sri Lanka Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama will open the modernized Galle-Matara sector of the Southern railway track today at 11:00 a.m. at Galle.

A special train will run from Galle to Matara after religious observations and a ceremony will be held at Matara railway station under the auspicious of Deputy Minister of Transport Rohana Dissanayake, Southern Provincial Council Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal and the Chief Guest, Indian High Commissioner of Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha.

The railway line is the Sri Lanka's first high speed line where locomotives can run up to 100 kilometers per hour.

Construction of the Galle-Matara segment in the first stage of upgrading the coastal line from Colombo to Matara was completed at a cost of US$ 36 million.

The Indian government has pledged US$ 168 million to implement the comprehensive project for upgrading the Colombo-Galle-Matara coastal railway track.

The second phase of construction between Galle and Hikkaduwa was scheduled to begin on the 15th of this month. In the third phase development of the railway track from Hikkaduwa to Kalutara South will take place.

The Railway Department says the development will shorten the current travelling time of 3 hours and 40 minutes for the train ride from Colombo to Matara to two hours with the high speed train.