President travels to Kilinochchi by Yal Devi with the message of goodwill
The train service on the reconstructed Northern railway line began operations from Omanthai to Kilinochchi, after 23 years Saturday (14).
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa launched the ‘Yal Devi’ train service that departed from Omanthai, travelling as the first passenger and arrived in the former LTTE strong-hold, Kilinochchi.
President also declared open the newly constructed Kilinochchi Railway Station.
At the initial stage , three other trains with main train will operate daily from Colombo to Kilinochchi, The train which travels at a speed of 120 km per hour will take 5 hours for the journey from Colombo to Kilinochchi.
In January 1985, the train was blown up, killing 28 soldiers and injuring over a 100 passengers. Another attack by the LTTE in 1990 saw the complete abandonment of services.
The restoration of the railway track project began in 2009 after the military defeat of the LTTE by the India Railway Construction International Ltd.(IRCON) with the assistance of the Indian Government.
Since the war ended in 2009, the Indian government has extended its support to Sri Lanka to rebuild the entire 252 km-long route under a USD 800-million credit line.
The train would next be extended upto Jaffna, completing the full restoration of the service by the end of 2014.
Minister of Transport Kumar Welgama, Minister Douglas Devananda, Governor of Northern Province G.A. Chandrasiri, High Commissioner of India Y. K. Sinha, other Ministers as well as the senior officials of Ministry and Sri Lanka Railways participated in the occasion.
(Source: Government News Portal)
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In Sri Lanka, train service is not improving in any angle. If you have observed platform is least 1.5m below the train deck. And the stations are still same as English days, never expanded or refurbished.
3rd class and 2nd class compartments are not maintained properly.
I think we should think about having proper train service rather than just maintain the same.
This is great news. There will be 3 Yahl Dhevi services daily to the North.
The service will provide unfettered access to the virgin lands and virgin resources of the North to the Sinhala Buddhist peasants who can now truly exercise their birth right to choose where they want to live in our beautiful and compassionate Sinhala Buddhist island.
The armed forces presence in the North should be strengthened to protect the Sinhala Buddhist citizens who move to the North to enjoy the benefits of the total eradication of the Tamil terrorist’s grip on the North.