Sri Lanka launches luxury train service in Jaffna with India’s assistance

Sri Lanka has launched a luxury train service connecting the country’s Tamil-dominated Jaffna district to the capital city Colombo with the help of a Line of Credit offered by India, in another significant landmark in bilateral ties.

The intercity rail service with all facilities was launched on January 9, 2022, for passengers travelling from Colombo’s Mount Lavinia suburb to Jaffna’s Kankesanthurai port suburb in the north, covering a distance of approximately 386 km. The train service will criss-cross the island nation, connecting Colombo with Kankesanthurai on the northern tip of the Jaffna Peninsula, which has a Tamil-majority population.

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Transport Pavithra Wanniarachchi, who undertook the inaugural ride, was welcomed by India’s Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K Jacob at the Colombo Fort Station during the inaugural ceremony.

India had provided AC Diesel Multiple Units (AC DMUs) under the loan facility. The supply of airconditioned diesel multiple units is just one of the many railway projects being undertaken by India in Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission said, adding that there are also other ongoing projects, which include the supply of passenger coaches under an Indian Line of Credit.

India’s total development portfolio in Sri Lanka is over USD 3.5 billion, of which around USD 570 million are purely grant projects. Modernisation of railways and creation of new railway infrastructure have been important sectors of focus under the Indian Government’s development portfolio in Sri Lanka, in line with the priority of the government and people of Sri Lanka.