US$ 1 billion metro system for Colombo

[May 16, 2006 - 10.00 GMT]

The Government of Sri Lanka has signed the letter of intent with NEB Infrastructure (Pvt) Ltd, India to carry out the feasibility study for the Mass Rapid Transit (Rail) System (MRTS) for the Colombo metropolitan area.

The Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Rohitha Bogollagama stated that, the initial feasibility study for the project, funded and carried out by NEB Infrastructure Ltd India, will be completed in 4 months.

The second phase includes preparing a detailed feasibility study spanning an 8 months period, after which NEB is expected to go ahead with the full scale implementation with an investment of US$ billion over a 3-4 year period.

MRTS systems are capable of transporting a large number of passengers for a lesser per head cost, with less pollution.  It is also expected to reduce the use of private automobiles, which contribute to the heavy peak hour traffic while easing the burden on the overcrowded local bus and rail system.

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Last Updated Date: May  16, 2006 -10.00 GMT