Sri Lanka to award tender for country’s first automated railway ticketing system
The awarding of the tender for Sri Lanka’s first automated railway ticketing system has been completed and is likely to reach the Cabinet for approval in two weeks, The Sunday Morning Business has reported.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the fund provider of the US$ 20 million project, had approved a US$ 160 million loan to modernise Sri Lanka Railways through a number of improvements.
The smart ticketing system is also included in this grand railway modernisation initiative.
Following a competitive bidding process, the Selection Committee has finalised a Chinese firm to undertake the project, sources at the Department of Railways has been quoted as saying.
Four Chinese firms had submitted bids for the tender and the rest of the bidders have been informed of the final decision through letters last week. The bidders have been given two weeks, starting Monday (19) to appeal the decision taken by the Selection Committee.
“If the bidders have any issues with the decision, they have been given time to appeal. If we receive any appeals, we have to look into it; in which case, the whole project could be delayed,” the source has noted.
The automated train ticketing system is to be implemented island wide by the end of this year.
However, following the Easter Sunday tragedy, it was unclear if the original timeline for its implementation was still valid. Nevertheless, if the committee does not receive any appeals from the bidders, the ticketing system is likely to be implemented by the end of this year.
OSL take:
The upgrading of Sri Lanka’s railway sector with assistance from the Asian Development Bank has created many business/investment opportunities in the direct development of railway infrastructure as well as supplementary infrastructure facilities. Like the proposed automated railway ticketing system, there are many other areas in Sri Lanka’s railway sector that would provide lucrative business/investment opportunities to foreign businesses/investors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/26082019/Z_3 |