Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-10-03

Improvement of the Kelani Valley Railway Line and the Main Railway Line

- The pre-feasibility study of the proposed Colombo Suburban Railway Project to be implemented to improve the existing railway network, to cater to the demand for railway services by the year 2035 has by now been completed. Through this, plans have been designed for the implementation of a number of development activities pertaining to the Main, Kelani Vally, the Coastal and the Puttalam Railway Lines.

In this regard, it has been decided to take action in accordance with the accepted policies of social security with regard to the persons affected due to the railway reservations being used for these development purposes. Towards this end, action is being taken to conduct social economic surveys and by now the socio economic survey pertaining to the section from Maradana to Homagama in the Kelani Velly line has been completed. With a view to implementing this project expeditiously, the proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, to conduct the socio-economic survey in respect of the section from Homagama to Avissawella in the Kelani Velly line and from Maradana to Rambukkana in the Main Line with the assistance of the UN Habitat programme, was approved by the Cabinet.