ADB to carry out study for financing Road-cum-Rail Link between India and Sri Lanka

Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mr.P.Radhakrishnan urged Ministry of Railways to also plan for development of “Multifunctional/Multi-Model Logistics Park” at Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka, with the help of CONCOR that helps to improve the Trade and Commerce relationship between the two countries, stating that the proposed Rail-cum-Road Link will act as a strong Economic Corridor for both the countries for this century

New Delhi: The Government of India today said that the Asian Development Bank has been asked to carry out pre-feasibility study for financing road and rail link across Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. Stating this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways P Radhakrishnan said that the project is in the conceptual stage and is subject to approval of government of Sri Lanka.

The Minister said that once the report from ADB is received, the same will be shared by the Indian government with the Sri Lanka Government for further examination.

Mr.Radhakrishnan said that both countries felt that not only there is an urgent need to enhancing of trade, commerce and bilateral relationships between the two countries, but also the collaboration in innovation, knowledge sharing, Science & Technology, Space Sciences, Communication, Information Technology and ICT, Agricultural cooperation, Research and Development etc for the betterment of the region in particular. The envisaged Road-cum-Rail line project between India and Sri Lanka will facilitate heightened economic cooperation in this important region of Southeast Asia, the Minister said.

Minister also urged Ministry of Railways to plan for development of a Multifunctional/Multi-Model Logistics Park near Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka for better movement of goods and supplies through Freight containers. He said that this initiative by Ministry of Railways will enhance the Trade and Commerce between the two countries and Rail-cum-Road Link will help speedier transportation of freight logistics by rail and road mode, and serves as the key Economic Corridor for both the countries.

The Minister also urged Confederation of Indian Industry, FICCI and other Organisations to engage with Sri Lanka in greater detail, for development of the industries covering the manufacturing, agro-products, life sciences, agriculture, Information Technology, heavy industries and the other core sectors.

Centre mulling Rail Bridge between Rameswaram and Talaimannar

A short boat ride used to connect the railway lines that ended at Talaimannar in Sri Lanka and Dhanushkodi in India, which was in operation till 1966. During his visit to the city on Sunday, the Union Minister told reporters during an informal chat that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government is considering a proposal to establish a bridge to connect the two countries.

Asked about the fate of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, Mr Radhakrishnan said the project was not shelved. “The matter is sub judice… a decision on the project would be taken based on the outcome of the court ruling,” he said.

Colombo: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off a train service between Talaimannar, an island in Sri Lanka’s north, to the capital Colombo.

The railway track was built with funding from the Indian government which has already allocated millions of dollars to develop the Tamil dominated north of Sri Lanka.

It is a 63-km track between Madhu Road, a town in northern Sri Lanka famous for the 350-year-old Roman Catholic Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, and Talaimannar, which is about 18 miles across the sea from Dhanushkodi, and is the Sri Lankan settlement that is geographically closest to India. The Madhu Road-Talaimannar line, which goes right up to Talaimannar Pier where Prime Minister Modi unveiled a plaque at the station, is the last segment of the prestigious 265-km Northern Railway Line Reconstruction Project. This stretch of the line has six stations, including Murukan, Mannar, Pesalai, Talaimannar, and Talaimannar Pier, and three sub-stations. The tracks are capable of running trains at speeds up to 120 km/h.

All services on the railway line were stopped in June 1990 after the Tamil Tiger rebels blasted the Mannar bridge in the northern province, which linked Mannar and Talaimannar island during the island’s 30 year civil war.

The 63-km newly built railway track between Mannar and Talaimannar Pier in the northwest is the last segment of a 265 km- long northern railway line reconstruction project funded by an Indian state owned company.

The Sri Lankan government said that the completion of the rail projects in the northern region is a big step towaport service to its citizens.

rds providing safe, time and fuel efficient, comfortable and environment friendly trans

“After re-opening this section, the commitment of the Sri Lankan government to restoring rail track connectivity in the Northern Province after a lapse of 25 years will be fulfilled. This will also fulfill the long-cherished dream of the local Tamil people for having direct rail connectivity to Colombo,” the government said.

Modi, who is currently on a two day state visit to Sri Lanka, provided a fresh Line of Credit of up to 318 million U.S. dollars for the island nation’s railways sector on Friday. “This will be used to procure rolling stock, and to restore and upgrade existing railway tracks,” he said.

The opening of the Talaimannar link is part of the larger restoration of rail routes connecting the former war-ravaged northern provinces with Colombo and the southern parts of Sri Lanka after 25 years. The rail connectivity with Talaimannar was destroyed during the ethnic conflict. While the line will help bind Sri Lanka closer together, the planned return of ferry services between India and Sri Lanka will restore the sea link between Talaimannar and Rameswaram, and rekindle traditional trading activities, besides bringing hundreds of families on either side of the sea closer

In 2010, about a year after the final defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the end of the war in Sri Lanka, India bagged the contract to rebuild the destroyed railway line and telecommunications systems. The Indian Railway Construction (IRCON) International Ltd, an infrastructure construction company owned by the Ministry of Railways, began work on the Madhu-Talaimannar line on March 29, 2011. The project, carried out with financial assistance from India, has been completed at a cost of $ 149.7 million.

Importance of involvement in the rebuilding of former war-torn areas of Sri Lanka to India

Sri Lanka occupies a strategically critical location in the Indian Ocean, and China has been looking to invest deeply in the country and the region. China has been actively involved in Sri Lanka’s major infrastructure projects including the building of power plants, the modernization of Sri Lankan railways, and setting up satellite communication networks. India’s traditional ties with Sri Lanka have received a setback as a result of domestic politics in recent years, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit is also part of an effort to recover lost ground.

Indian Prime Minister to Inaugurate india built Rail Line to Thalaimannar

Colombo: On March 14, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will be inaugurating an India-built, high speed rail track between Madhu Road and Thalaimannar Pier in Mannar district of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.

The 65 km long track which can take speeds up to 120 km per hour

, will not only link Thalaimannar with Colombo but will also be a boon to passengers from India when the ferry service from Rameswaram to Thalaimannar is introduced shortly.

The project has been executed by IRCON International, a Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Railways, Government of India.

IRCON General Manager S.L.Gupta said that with the completion of the Madhu Road-Thalaimannar track, the 325 km Northern Railway Project done by his company, will end and the dream of the local Tamil population to get back railway services destroyed in the 25 year conflict, will have been fulfilled.

The reconstructed track is the last segment of the 265 Km long Northern Railway Line Reconstruction Project executed by IRCON. This section has five crossing stations at Murunkan, Mannar, Pesalai, Talai Mannar and Talai Mannar Pier, along with three halt stations at Mathotham, Thiruketheeswaram and Thoddaveli.

The railway tracks from Omanthai to Kankesanthurai and Medawachchiya to Talai Mannar Pier were completely destroyed during the prolonged ethnic conflict.  India extended support to Lanka to rebuild 265 km of railway track in the Northern Province by providing a Line of Credit of USD 650 million at a concessional rate with a repayment period of 20 years and a 5 year moratorium.

The credit line covers the cost of tracks, station buildings and other structures, locomotives, and signaling and telecommunication systems over a length of 325 kms in the Northern Province.

Tracks between Omanthai to Kankesanthurai (154 km) and Medawachchiya to Madhu Road (45 km) are already operational.