A new luxury train service linking the Tamil-dominated Jaffna to Colombo has been launched by Sri Lanka with the help of a Line of Credit provided by India, marking a significant development in bilateral relations. Approximately 386 kilometers need to be covered by the new intercity rail service between Colombo’s Mount Lavinia suburb and Jaffna’s Kankesanthurai port suburb in the north.
The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka called it “another significant step in India-Sri Lanka relations”.
A train service inaugurated today to the Northern Province embodies two of the key pillars of India’s development partnership with Sri Lanka – infrastructure development and country-wide focus, the tweet read.
In line with the loan agreement, India provided AC Diesel Multiple Units (AC DMUs). At the Colombo Fort station, Sri Lankan Transport Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi was welcomed by India’s Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K Jacob, who undertook the inaugural ride.
“Hon’ble Minister @pavithrawannia1 inaugurated the AC Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) supplied by @RITESLimited under an Indian credit line & launched the train service from Mt.Lavinia to KKS. She undertook the inaugural ride & was welcomed at the #Colombo #Fort Station by Deputy High Commissioner,” the Indian mission said in a tweet.
“This train service will facilitate people-to-people exchange and will lay emphasis on mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries,” Jacob said.
In addition to connecting Colombo with Kankesanthurai on the Jaffna Peninsula, which has a mainly Tamil population, the train service will criss-cross the island nation. Deputy Foreign Minister Wanniarachchi thanked the Indian government for its continued support to Sri Lanka in the fight against the pandemic.
The Indian High Commission said air-conditioned diesel multiple units are just one of the many railways projects India is undertaking in Sri Lanka, as well as the supply of passenger coaches under an Indian Line of Credit.
Over USD 3.5 billion have been invested in Sri Lanka’s development, of which USD 570 million have been grant-funded, Indian embassy officials said in a statement.
As part of the Indian Government’s development portfolio in Sri Lanka, the modernization of railways and building of new infrastructure have been important areas of focus, in line with the priorities of the government and people of Sri Lanka, it said.
