Title - Construction of railway lines by IRCON on schedule

Sixty five percent of the construction work of the railway line from Medawachchiya to Madhu has been completed. The construction work on the Medawachchiya-Madhu segment is expected to be completed on schedule by March, 2013 Transport Minister Kumara Welgama said.The minister said that attention has been focussed to complete its construction expeditiously. Fully mechanical sleeper installations and laying of tracks between Medawachchiya and Madhu were begun yesterday. The reconstruction work of the Medawachchiya-Madhu railway line is being carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the 43 kilometre track from Medawachchiya to Madhu is being reconstructed at a cost of US $ 81.3 million. Under the second phase, the Madhu to Talaimannar segment (63 km) is being built at a cost of US $ 149.74 million.Forty percent of the construction work of the railway line from Madhu to Talaimannar under the second stage has already been completed. It is expected to complete the construction work of the second stage by September next year.Transport Minister Kumara Welgama made these remarks while inspecting the construction work of the Medawachchiya to Madhu railway line segment recently. Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Industries and Commerce Minister Rishard Bathudeen, Construction, Engineering and Common Aminities Minister Wimal Weerawansa and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha also participated the inspection tour.

The construction work is being carried out by the Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON).

This project has been funded as a part of the credit line of US $ 800 million, which has been extended by the Indian government at concessional terms, the minister said. The Ministers informed IRCON officials of the necessity of completing the construction work of the entire railway line on schedule.

They also had emphasized that there was a need to recommence the railway service on the Medawachchiya-Madhu line before the commencement of the Madhu feast next year. With the end of the war, reconstruction work on physical resources destroyed in Northern and Eastern areas is now progressing rapidly, he added.