LRT discussions on with JICA, but no agreement yet: Herath

Wednesday, 18 February 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has yet to provide final clearance for the proposed Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath said yesterday.

Addressing the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing, he said JICA had conveyed that any decision on the LRT would be considered only after evaluating the progress and outcomes of other ongoing projects, which were resumed recently.

“The discussions are ongoing regarding the LRT, but it hasn’t reached any final agreement yet,” he said, adding that the work on multimodal transport hubs is currently underway.

Herath said that during talks with JICA officials when the President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka last year, the Government presented its proposals for the LRT. “However, JICA indicated that priority should first be given to completing and evaluating existing projects before taking a decision on the LRT,” he stressed.