Railway Electrification: Game changer in public transport, now firmly on track

During peak hours, roads in-and-out of Colombo are heavily congested and the trains excessively packed. Reaching Dehiwala from Fort by bus after work – a distance of 11 km – may well take more than one hour. Though many use the train to cut the trip time, the journey is arduous, with many a dozen precariously balancing on the footboard. Trains are often late and uncomfortable to travel in, and the periodic fresh coating of paint and adjustments to platform lengths/ heights, are all that our railway stations have seen since independence.

In 2009, the loss to the economy owing to inefficient transport was estimated by University of Moratuwa to be in excess of Rs. 32 billion. Ad hoc investments into infrastructure ‘improvements’, such as road expansion and flyovers, have brought little relief, and plunged the country further into debt, without matching economic benefits. Inefficient public transport throw more young and middle-aged workers from the train and bus on to the road, first on to a motor cycle, then to a car, all purchased with their hard-earned cash. Already a major issue , the transport problems in the capital city and the suburbs only threaten to worsen.

Amidst all this doom and gloom, however, there is one beacon of hope : The plan to electrify and modernise Sri Lanka’s suburban railway network is now firmly on track. Railway electrification is a truly homegrown idea that would benefit large sections of the population.

The Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) has been at the forefront of championing this cause for nearly two decades.

In 1998, IESL proposed electrifying the 13 km long Colombo-Ragama section. This was to serve as a pilot project, not merely for railway electrification but also for implementing local engineering solutions to the country’s pressing development challenges. Despite initial enthusiasm from the Government, the proposal did not see the light of day.

Ten years later, in 2008, IESL revived the idea again by appointing a Committee on Railway Electrification. Within a short span of time, the committee comprising experts in the field conducted a pre-feasibility study, developed the economic rationale, prioritized sections to be electrified, and proposed a suitable power supply system. IESL was assisted by the Institution of Engineers, India, to conduct the pre-feasibility study of 2008. Following years of unsuccessful lobbying by IESL with Governments, the proposal was given a new lease of life in June 2015, when the Government finally approved the project to electrify and modernise the suburban railway network, commencing with PanaduraColombo-Veyangoda.

ADB funding

The Asian Development Bank has since agreed to finance the project through a low interest loan of US$300 million, with an indication of a further $300 million to expand the electrified network. This landmark project is being implemented under the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation; a team of national and international consultants is already working on the feasibility study and preparing the conceptual designs. Sri Lanka Railways (SLR), Ceylon Electricity Board, and Lanka Electricity Company are expected play significant roles as the project progresses to the next phase of detailed designs and construction, with SLR eventually taking over the operations of the electric trains.

2020 is earmarked as the year to have our first electric train service up and running in the Panadura-Colombo- Veyangoda sector, almost 100 years after the then Ceylon Governor Sir William Manning first proposed the idea in 1924, followed-up by Engineer D.J. Wimalasurendra proposing more details in a research paper.

Electricity supply to trains will be from a 25 kilovolt line suspended above the tracks. The electric service will use existing tracks, but the project will rebuild tracks to enable speeds up to 100 km. Long distance trains and electrified service will share the same tracks, but engineers are studying sectors where additional tracks can be laid to ease congestion and facilitate overtaking.

The first suburban section to be electrified will be the Panadura-ColomboVeyangoda. Passenger information shows that more than 40 per cent of SLR passengers begin and end their journey within this 64 km section. Extending this service up to Polgahawela, Kalutara south are future options. Electrification of the Ragama-Negombo line with connection to the airport, and the Kelani Valley line, as well as a new line from Colombo to Battaramulla, are all being studied and prioritized.

The benefits are enormous. Even with extremely conservative estimates, energy and maintenance cost per train kilometer will be halved with electric power sets. Electric trains have higher acceleration and deceleration. Being connected to the grid, “regenerative breaking” recovers a portion of electricity used, when the train brakes. Greater passenger safety and comfort would be guaranteed, with closed doors and air-conditioning becoming a standard feature. From the standpoint of national power supply, the IESL study of 2008 concluded that running electric train services would not require additional grid capacity, and, in fact, would improve the national load profile and help the grid.

Smooth and safe boarding

A full-fledged modernisation scheme will complement electrification to bring to fruit the full benefits. Better quality tracks for higher speeds and safer crossings are a priority. Electric railway lines will be fenced off to prevent people and animal invasion. Further, the station platforms and the train’s base would be at the same elevation while the entry/ exit corridors would align with the train’s doors for smooth and safe boarding. Safe parking spots would be created around stations. Electronic-ticketing and automated announcements will be implemented.

Railway electrification is a game changer in Sri Lanka’s public transport. A fast and efficient, yet affordable, train service would dissuade people from investing in private vehicles. Just doubling the number of passengers that presently use the train service – eminently possible with fast electric trains and a more frequent service – will result in an exponential drop in road traffic. Our rides back home from work will cease to be a nightmare.

The IESL is glad to be a partner in the railway electrification and modernization project, assisting the Government and SLR to finally realize the dream of several generations of commuters.

Engineers and development

This is a new series exclusive to the Business Times where the country’s engineers through its professional body - The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) - will discuss and provide views on key development issues. Any response or clarification on this series could be addressed to Eng. (Dr.) Jagath Peiris, Chief IESL Executive Officer/ Executive Secretary at es@iesl.lk