The Government will construct three new railway lines, the first new tracks to be constructed since the end of the British rule in Sri Lanka.

According to the Sunday Times, the new railway lines will be constructed connecting Colombo and the suburbs, to ease growing traffic congestion in the commercial city.

The three new railway lines will be constructed from Ragama to Kirulapone via Colombo Fort, Colombo to Kelaniya via Moratuwa, Piliyandala, Narahenpita, and Colombo to Hunupitiya (Wattala) via Kottawa, Pannipitiya and Thalawathugoda.

The project will be initiated as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and is scheduled to be completed in four years at an estimated cost of US$ 5 billion with foreign investment invited with the return based on a revenue sharing model.

During a high- level official meeting chaired by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Ministry of Finance in Colombo recently, the Prime Minister had directed officials to also include Maharagama in the railway project plan.

He had cited the large number of people arriving in the area from outstation, with proposals being made to include Maharagama in the 21.5 km Kottawa-Hunupitiya railway line.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry said the railway service will integrate the bus rapid transit system at Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center, Kottawa in order to ease heavy traffic congestion in the Colombo city limits