India to construct $300 million rail line in Sri Lanka

NEW DELHI: India wants to construct a new railway line from Trincomalee to Medawachchiya in Sri Lanka, estimated at around $300 million.

Using some of the concessional credit extended to Sri Lanka, railway PSU Ircon wants to upgrade the Anuradhapura-Omanthai section of the railway line in the Northern Province.

It also wishes to upgrade Maho-Anuradhapura section, including new signalling and telecommunication works, an official release said.

Ircon wants to upgrade the existing line and construct a new line along with complete signalling. Additionally, it wants to construct telecommunication works on the Polgahwela-Maho section.

This was discussed at a meeting yesterday, between Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha and Malik Samarawickrama, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade.

India has been extending concessional line of credit (LoC) to Sri Lanka to support various projects in the infrastructure sector, including railways.

To date, over $1 billion of LoC has been extended to Sri Lanka for various railway projects.