Sri Lanka to set up four colour coded elevated railways in Colombo as PPP
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has reportedly granted approval to construct four colour-coded elevated railway tracks that will connect Colombo to its most populous suburbs.
Co-Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister Udaya Gammanpila has told the media that the project will be implemented as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and aims to reduce severe traffic congestion experienced in reaching the country’s business capital.
The four railway tracks have been named Raktha (Red), Neela (Blue), Haritha (Green) and Dham (Purple).
According to reports, the Raktha railway track, which is to be constructed from Ragama to Kottawa via Colombo Fort, is 42 km in distance. Haritha railway track is 28 km in distance and it is set to be elevated from Moratuwa to Kelaniya via Narahenpita.
The Neela railway track, which is 23 km long, will be built from Kottawa to Hunupitiya through Isurupaya. The fourth elevated railway track, which is Dham, will be constructed from Port City to Athurugiriya via Borella.
Meanwhile local competitor bids have reportedly been called to award four construction packages to rehabilitate and maintain a segment of the Colombo-Kandy road. The stretch of road, which will be 44-100km, has received 47 bids from 15 bidders.
The Cabinet has approved the proposal tabled by Sri Lanka’s Highways Minister Johnston Fernando to award the relevant contract packages to substantial responsive bidders, as recommended by the Cabinet-appointed standing committee on procurements.
OSL take:
The resumption of Sri Lanka’s development programme that was temporarily halted during the global Covid 19 pandemic has opened up many business/investment opportunities. The government of Sri Lanka is committed to taking the country to the next level. In order to achieve the best of its development programme, Sri Lankan authorities have introduced many incentives as well as worked to improve the country’s ease of doing business environment. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and the many trade agreements as well as trade concessions enjoyed by the country have made it a business hub in the South Asian region. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s development programme.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20210406/Z_6 |