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News Image 10632 - Matara-Kataragama Railway line to be commenced this month
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 - 8:50 AM SL Time - Some pictures are worth a million words |  | |
The Matara-Kataragama Railway line is proposed to be constructed at a cost of Rs.1,100 million and the construction work of this project is scheduled to be completed within three years.
The construction of four bridges over the four main rivers, Nilwala Ganga, Walawe Ganga, Kiridi Oya and Kirama Oya are the most costly time consuming tasks.
Construction of the main bridge over Nilwala River will commence in this month and with the completion of this bridge the Colombo - Matara bound train will extend up to Walasgala, and from there to Hambantota and to Kataragama.
In addition to the Kataragama railway track, Seetawaka railway line will also be extended from Avissawella to Hambantota via Ratnapura and Embilipitiya. The construction of these two railway lines will be entrusted to workers of the Railway Department.
This project was one of the pilot projects under the Mahinda Chinthanaya of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. - News.lk | | |
Shakti
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19 Dec 2006 03:13:38 GMT Report for Abuse
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When the British left in 1948, they left us one of the most developed railway systems in Asia. The system was so good even the Prime Ministers of the country then travelled by train. There were anecdotes about how Bandaranieike and Kothalawela travelled by train. Wijayananda Dahanayake was another famous politician who travelled by train weekly from Galle.
In those days trains ran according to time tables, stations were well maintained and spotlessly clean, and CGR was considered as one of the best employers. Its employees were proud of the work they do.
(Please read Carl Muller's 'Yakada Yaka' if you need more information.)
In the 60 years after the independence, we have systematically ruined that system. This was largely happened after the 70-77 period, when the SLFP political henchaiyas were recruited to all government departments without any limit. JRJ continued the tradition and end up with one of the most corrupted and most useless and unreliable railways in all over Asia.
Recently I travelled from Colombo to Anuradhapura by second class and observed that no toilet can be used. In one of the toilets, there was not even a commode and some people (perhaps in urgency) done the 'job' in the floor. Nobody had ever cleaned them. That was the status of the second class. Wonder how it is in third class.
The Railways today runs at a complete loss. It is a huge burden to the treasury. The income earned by tickets does not even cover the HR costs of the department. Few years back, General Manager of Railways Priyal De Silva (who was also the then President of Institution of Engineers) publicly said it costs CGR Rs. 2 to print a ticket and sometimes the fare between stations is less than that. So by selling the tickets CGR sometimes does not even cover the print cost.
During tsunami more than 2,500 people in a train died because CGR had no way of communicating the disaster to the engine driver. Please note this happened at a time when almost every threewheel driver has a mobile phone. CGR is that poor. They cannot afford even something like a mobile phone for the engine driver.
During the UNP govt of 2002-4 time, measures were taken to covert this white dinosaur to a profitable organisation by converting it to an authority. If this plan went ahead we would have had a productive, efficient and reliable railway system in five years time.
Alas, the Moda Chinthanaya had completely ruined that plan.
There is no point expanding railway lines if the department had no money to run the system. It will be a complete waste of time. The need of the hour is the restructure of the system to make the system self sustaining and reliable. If that is not done there is no use if the lines are expanded even to hundreds of kms.
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Edited By - Shakti - 19 Dec 2006 03:14:42 GMT |
Rays123
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19 Dec 2006 03:53:55 GMT Report for Abuse
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| According to this news, the construction of the bridge over Nilwala river is not commenced so far. I wonder how long they will take to complete this bridge. They took five years to complete the brige in Aluthgama. |
Rays123
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19 Dec 2006 04:01:30 GMT Report for Abuse
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During the UNP govt of 2002-4 time, measures were taken to covert this white dinosaur to a profitable organisation by converting it to an authority. If this plan went ahead we would have had a productive, efficient and reliable railway system in five years time.
Converting to authority means that to privatized the CGR and give it to the UNP hench men. So they can sell the land and assets belong to it and then vanish, like they did to the bus company in Sri lanka.
Edited By - Rays123 - 19 Dec 2006 04:03:37 GMT |
magha
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19 Dec 2006 04:54:46 GMT Report for Abuse
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During tsunami more than 2,500 people in a train died because CGR had no way of communicating the disaster to the engine driver.
There was no Tsunami warning system in Sri Lanka when it happened, so how could one inform engine drivers? People died because, after the first wave the trained stopped and many people got on to the train which was higher than the ground level, and then came the second wave which was the killer and hit the train with all its passengers on board and those who got in for protection. |
Mucha-linda
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19 Dec 2006 05:16:04 GMT Report for Abuse
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MAGHA,
It is reported that CGR officials knew and wanted to get the train stopped at a railway station. In fact, they have even attempted to contact Ambalangoda station before the train left through a backup communication channel, but the call went unasnwered. By the time Ambalangoda railway station picked up the call, the train had already left, and they have had absolutely no means to advise the engine driver to stop it. What happened next is history.
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magha
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19 Dec 2006 07:40:36 GMT Report for Abuse
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Mucha,
It could have been the case they could not communicate with the engine drivers in that instance . However the chance of the train running between stations were very high and even if the drivers were informed between stations the calamity still could have happened because not enough time to escape. I am not sure that there is no way of communication with the engine drivers on a running train in Sri Lankan railway system. Any way you may agree that the chronic problems in CGR as well as in other government depts are not due to Mahinda Chinthanya. |
magha
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19 Dec 2006 07:58:11 GMT Report for Abuse
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Mucha,
I went to see the Train that was involved in the Tsunami. Now I remember a man there telling us showing the Signal post ,that the train stopped even before the first wave hit, as the train had been signaled to stop. So they were able to signal the engine driver to stop the train. He showed me where the signal post originally located and how it got broke off from the giant wave and found else where, even the engine was found several hindered feet away from the track. So railway systems have different communication systems and in Sri Lanka there has not been many major railway disasters due to lack of communication. |
3forces
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19 Dec 2006 08:41:17 GMT Report for Abuse
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| I was looking forward to seen this 20years ago, This is dream comes true, |
snake2
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19 Dec 2006 11:37:39 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Its good that the railway department is getting the opportunity to do the tracks. Hopefully the bridges will be given to State Engineering Institutions or local companies |
KURAL
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19 Dec 2006 12:15:38 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Railways were built by British only for THEIR interests, to rob Sri lanka's richness more quickly like in India! |
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