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Malabe-Fort Light Rail Transport project starts early 2018
View(s):Preliminary work on the Light Rail Transport (LRT) project between Malabe and Fort will commence early next year, officials said.
The project covering a distance of 21 km and costing US$ 1.3 billion, with funding from JICA, is due to be completed by 2021.
Ahead of the launch of the project, all overhead Telecommunication and Electricity lines are to go underground, to facilitate the LRT project.
Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe told the Sunday Times that the loan, similar to the Port City project, will have to be paid back in 40 years, with a 10-year grace period.
Once the project is completed, it will take about 40 min to travel from Malabe to Fort, with trains operating every four minutes during peak hours.
“As the project is new to Sri Lanka, for the first 2 years, the project will be operated by the Japanese and subsequently, our drivers, who would be trained during that period, will take over,” he added.
There will be 21 stations along the route which covers the Borella, Rajagiriya, Battaramulla and Thalahena areas.
