Sri Lanka's first new railway in a century starts operation

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The first new railway line in Sri Lanka for nearly 100 years, the Matara-Kataragama Railway Extension Project (Phase 1), officially started operating on Monday.

Sri Lanka's first new railway in a century starts operation. /courtesy of China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC).

The project will open a new chapter for the development of southern Sri Lanka where the infrastructure is generally poor. More and more local people are expected to take the train to go to work, study or to the beach. The lives of local people will change significantly.

The railway will significantly benefit local communities.

The 113-kilometer railway line from Matara to Kataragama is to be completed in three phases and the Matara to Beliatta segment is the first phase of the project. The second phase is the 48-kilometer segment from Beliatta to Hambantota and the third phase another 39-kilometer covering Hambantota and Kataragama.

The new railway line is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. /CMC Photo

The railway project, part of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, started in 2013. It is being carried out at a cost of 278 million U.S. dollars by the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) with the funding from China Exim Bank. The construction supervision was done under the guidance of the Sri Lankan Central Engineering Bureau.

Aerial view of the phase 1 of the railway line in southern Sri Lanka. /CMC Photo