Monday Dec 16, 2024
Monday Dec 16, 2024
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| Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena
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The Government has decided to revise railway charges for passenger, goods and postal transport to minimise losses.
The proposal to this effect submitted by Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday.
It was pointed out that train fares have not been revised in the past five years, whilst other charges such as goods and postal transport fees have not been increased in past 14 years.
The move has been justified noting the revision was to minimise the losses incurred by the Sri Lanka Railways Department.
Given the steep fuel price hike, it has become vital to increase the income earned by the Department to sustain a satisfactory railway service.
Sri Lanka Railways is a major transport service provider and is the only rail transport organisation in the country. It operates around 396 trains including 67 long-distance and 16 intercity trains and transports about 3.72 million passengers per day.
Its concessionary payment system for passenger transport in terms of Government policies has been a major pull. Sri Lanka Railways enjoys a market share of around 6% for passenger transportation and 0.7% for cargo transportation.
