Sri Lanka Railways Forum

General Manager of the Railway has proposed a threefold hike in the travel fare if the loss making Sri Lankan Railway is to be salvaged. The Railway incurs a loss of 42 cents for every passenger per kilometer. The Railway charges 48 cents from a passenger per kilometer. However, the General Manager of the Railway Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan told Lakbima that rail fare should be increased at least up to 90 cents per kilometer.

He said that he had already presented the proposal to the Government for increase in rail fare and that he was awaiting a response. He added “we do not want to want a further burden the people by increasing rail fare, but if we need a modern and effective transport system, we must pay a higher fare, ‘ he said.

“Apparently we need 720 carriages altogether to provide a better railway service, but currently we don’t have even 100 carriages”, he said. The Railway has taken delivery of the first batch of 25 carriages, which were imported from China. This is part of the purchase of a total of 100 railway compartments from China. Another batch of 25 carriages will be shipped next week and altogether 100 of carriages will be received before the end of this year, Dr. Gunaruwan also said.

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The government’s failure to improve the Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) is likely to cripple the almost limping service, claims SLR employees.

Secretary, All Ceylon Railway Employees General Union, Sumathipala Manawadu is of view that unless the government initiates a programme to develop the railway service immediately the fall of the SLR is imminent.

“The Railway Department has to be upgraded in order to revive the country’s limping railway service. The present pathetic situation in the service has made commuters suffer immensely and if things are not changed the SLR’s days are numbered,” Manawadu said.

 According to Manawadu, successive governments have failed to develop the SLR although promises were given but added that the present administration has brought the railway service to a pathetic situation.

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The Railway Department will increase train fares to offset an annual loss of Rs. 3,981 million as a result of the soaring world oil prices and an accumulated loss for the past three decades, a spokesman for the Railway Department told the Sunday Observer.

The annual loss the Railway Department has been increasing for the past three decades. In 1997 the loss stood at Rs. 712 million and today it has increased to Rs. 3,981 million, he said.

The soaring oil price and long accumulated debt payable by the Railway Department are the main reasons for the loss. Loans have been taken to purchase locomotives and compartments, he said.

The Railway Department has placed an order to purchase locomotives and rail compartments worth over Rs. 3 billion in 2006. The loan will have to be settled within a 20-year period. We have no alternative other than to increase the train fares to reduce the Railway Department’s loss, he said.

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The recently imported Chinese railway carriages will be in operation from mid October, General Manager of the Sri Lanka Railways Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said.

“Obtaining an International Standard Certificate for running conditions of the carriages on all railway tracks in the island is very important and these will be carried out before transporting passengers,” Dr. Gunaruwan said.

He said the carriages were made of stainless steel with Air Break systems and cannot be driven beyond Nawalapitiya in the up-country Railway Line and Kelani Valley Railway Line.

“There are 30 locomotive engines available with us but only 13 could operate with these Air Break systems. Others will be converted to fit the existing system,” he said.

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The General Manager of Sri Lanka Railway Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said that the Railway Department has recommended a fare hike to the government.

Addressing a press conference held at his office yesterday, the GM said that the prices should be increased at least to the level of current bus fares.

The Railway Department did not increase the railway fares for years despite the escalating fuel prices. Because of it, the department is currently incurring a loss of Rs. 7.5 billion annually. The income of the Sri Lanka Railway is around Rs. 2.5 billion while the annual expenditure is Rs. 10 billion. Sri Lanka Railway is running at a loss of Rs. 7.5 billion a year.

Source: Colombo Page

Sri Lanka Railway has decided to put the newly imported railway carriages on track from mid October. The carriages are now in test runs, said a senior official of the Railway Department.

The 25 new carriages are a part of the 100 carriages ordered from China. They cannot be linked to all kinds of locomotives since they use air brake, said the sources. The rest of the order is to arrive in Sri Lanka before the end of the year.

The Railway intends to put the new carriages in intercity and long distance trains. The government has also ordered 15 locomotive engines from China and they are to arrive in the country mid next year.

Sri Lanka Railway that caters to around 300,000 commuters a day is running at a loss of around Rs. 7.5 billion per annum. It is in short of carriages and commuters of Kelani Valley line recently blocked trains to protest the department for not providing sufficient carriages for office trains.

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