(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The renovated stretch of railway track between Anuradhapura and Omanthai on the Northern Line was officially launched for public transport today (July 13), Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardena says.
Air-conditioned luxury carriages were added for the test run with a speed of 100kmph, the lawmaker mentioned while inspecting the renovated railway tracks.
As renovations began, the Anuradhapura-Omanthai stretch of the railway line remained closed since January. This led to a temporary halt in train operations between the two destinations and steps were taken to provide public transport facilities to the general public by deploying passenger buses.
Upgrading of the railway tracks is handled by India’s state-run Indian Railway Construction International (IRCON), under an Indian credit line of USD 91.27 million.
Under the first phase of this project, a stretch of 48km on the railway line from Anuradhapura to Vavuniya was renovated, and subsequently, a stretch of 31km up to Omanthai was upgraded.
