Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-08-01

The maintenance and expansion of railway network

- With the increase of the passengers travelling by train, it is essential to upgrade the railway bridges and the proper maintenance of the railway road network to bear the increased axle load and the speed of the trains. As such, the proposal made by Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, to conduct negotiations and to enter into loan agreements for obtaining the concessionary loans agreed to be provided for the project by the Government of Austria, proposed to be implemented at an estimated cost of Euro 7.6 million for the replacement of 100 year old 7 railway bridges in the Coastal Line, the Northern Line and the Matale Line and the renovation of turn-tables in Maho, Galle and Dematagoda and for the supply of tools and equipment for the maintenance of the railway network, was approved by the Cabinet.