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Proposal for the Uthuru-Mituru Friendship Railway

Track

Amal S. Kumarage

Submitted to the Minister of Transport

23rd

March 2009

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Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 5

Impacts of Conflict ............................................................................................................................. 5

Pre-requisite for Peace and Development ......................................................................................... 6

2. North-South Friendship Railway .................................................................................................... 7

Vision .................................................................................................................................................. 7

Goal .................................................................................................................................................... 7

Strategy .............................................................................................................................................. 7

3. The Transport Requirement ........................................................................................................... 9

Early History of the Northern Line ..................................................................................................... 9

Stations .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Railway Operation before the Conflict ............................................................................................ 10

How fast should the new railway operate? ..................................................................................... 11

Inter-modalism for the New Railways ............................................................................................. 11

4. Socio-Economic Activities ............................................................................................................ 12

What the Population was before the Conflict ................................................................................. 12

Potential for Regional Development................................................................................................ 12

Agriculture ................................................................................................................................... 13

Fishing .......................................................................................................................................... 13

Industries ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Cultural Tourism ........................................................................................................................... 13

5. Development of Towns ................................................................................................................ 15

Vavuniya ........................................................................................................................................... 15

Mankulam ........................................................................................................................................ 15

Kilinochchi-Iranamadu- Paranthan .................................................................................................. 17

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Metro Jaffna (Jaffna, Elephant Pass, Pallai, Chavakachcheri, KKS ) ............................................. 17

6. Development of Stations ............................................................................................................. 18

7. Project Concept ............................................................................................................................ 22

8. Cost of Rehabilitating Railway Line .............................................................................................. 23

9. Development of Bus Services ....................................................................................................... 25

10. Cost of Restoring Bus Transport .............................................................................................. 25

11. Total Cost of Transport Redevelopment ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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1.Introduction

The railway has been the primary connection of the northern part of the country to the south. The

distance by road to Colombo from Jaffna was 403 km while by rail it was 394 km.

Before the conflict there were 8 passenger trains and six goods trains operating between Colombo

and Jaffna daily. There was also a weekend passenger train with an Intercity Train also operating for

a few years. An estimated 6,000 people travelled between the Jaffna District and destinations in the

south by the early 1980s (Appendix II). Besides the railway, there were also around 20 bus trips that

operated on the main A9 Road which ran parallel to the railway all the way to Anuradhapura. Jaffna

was one destination that the railway till 1980s held the higher share of the market as it had a much

shorter travel time than road transport.

Before the conflict the railway also supported many industries in Jaffna District. The KKS Cement

factory, the Elephant Pass saltern were two leading industries in the country during that time. The

agricultural produce in Jaffna District as well as the fish production from Mannar and Mullaitivu

Districts were often transported to Colombo by Railways as well as trucks. There were also two

seaports at KKS and Point Pedro as well as a domestic airport at Palali.

Impacts of Conflict

One of the first casualties of the conflict was the disruption and intermittent severance of linkages

by the terrorists between the north and the south as early as 1985. Despite several repairs to track

and bridges the line was permanently closed after the 13th

June 1990. The A9 road that connects

the Jaffna peninsula and the northern part was also closed after terrorists overran townships along

the roadway around 1990.

With the severance of the once popular land

transport linkages, people in the north and in the

south were forced to take air transport or sea

transport which were always either too expensive or

too time consuming, besides been more riskier as

well. Gradually linkages between the north and

south reduced to a bear minimum and the different

communities became strangers. With both rail and

roadways fully or partially closed for around two

decades, the once close communities became

distant and suspect. With nearly one whole generation having ever been to the south or having met

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each other socially, the terrorist were able to sow seeds of a monstrous enemy and recruit many

young fighters for their cause.

Pre-requisite for Peace and Development

The restoration of land transport is thus one of the first and necessary pre-requisites for lasting

peace between communities. The restoration of the once popular trading linkages, pilgrimages to

Kataragama by people in the north and to Naga Deepa by people in the south are essential building

blocks for learning to trust each other. However, the restoration of the land transport link should

also be seen as a pivotal investment in reviving the long battered economic condition of the

northern areas. Basically, except for a few buildings in towns such as Killinochchi and in Jaffna in

recent years. Hardly any infrastructure has been up graded or built anew. In most rural areas

whatever infrastructure was there is destroyed. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the re-

building of the railways follows the basic principles of regional development and provides for the

rapid economic growth and social development of the region.

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Canadian Pacific Railway

Canada's very existence depended upon the

finishing completion of the major civil engineering

project, the creation of a transcontinental railway.

Creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a task

originally undertaken for a combination of reasons

by the Conservative government of Prime Minister

Sir John A. Macdonald.

The Province of British Columbia had insisted upon

a transport link to the east as a condition for joining

the Confederation of Canada. The government

however, proposed to build a railway linking the

Pacific province to the eastern provinces within ten

years of July 20, 1871.

Macdonald also saw it as essential to the creation of

a unified Canadian nation that would stretch across

the continent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Railway#Building_th

e_railway.2C_1881.E2.80.931885

2.North-South Friendship Railway

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) expects to launch this program on the 23rd

of April 2009, exactly

53 years after the Yal Devi the popular train to Jaffna was first operated in 1956. The GoSL expects

to make this a flagship project for rebuilding the

country through rebuilding the vital Yal Devi

Friendship Railway Track by making early plans for

immediate construction to follow securing the

northern areas.

Vision

Rebuild the country by rebuilding the Yal Devi

Railway Track which will join the north and south

together

Goal

To build a modern railway line that will provide

fast, reliable connections for both passenger and

goods transport between the northern parts of the

country that have for two decades been alienated,

with the south and to lay the basic building blocks

for integrated transport solutions for rapid socio-

economic development of the northern province.

Strategy

The GoSL will adopt a strategy that will adopt sound planning and engineering methodologies to

ensure a state-of- the-art railway line well placed to serve regional development potential, built

expeditiously and efficiently with the maximum possible participation of different stakeholders

while subscribing to the highest norms of transparency and accountability to all people. This will

include the following efforts:

• Break up of the line length of approximately 160 km (252 km to 411 km) in to 10 sections of

approximately 16 km length for purpose of rebuilding the track and to seek foreign funding

for each of these sections.

• The GoSL will construct the first section from Vavuniya with its own funds.

• Signalling and communication to be funded separately

• Each station to be planned as a transport and logistics hub integrating passenger and supply

chain activities from the surrounding rural areas as well to provide a strong core for rapid

development of these townships.

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• Each station and bus terminal to be built by different communities from the south of Sri

Lanka under a possible twinning program of two townships from north and south.

• Construction to commence from both KKS and Vavuniya so that there would be a symbolic

‘last peg’ in Pallai where the original track constructed from both ends met in 1905.

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3.The Transport Requirement

Early History of the Northern Line

The report of the Jaffna Railway Commission on a railway line to Jaffna was published in 1891. It

recommended immediate construction of a line from Polgahawela to Kurunegala and a survey of a

line to Jaffna.

The Kurunegala extension was approved in 1892 and opened on February 14, 1894. The light broad

gauge line reached Maho in 1899 and reached Anuradhapura on November 1, 1904. The Northern

Line was initiated by the building of the line from Anuradhapura to Madawachchiya and Vavuniya

and then through the wilderness of the Vanni, crossing into the Jaffna peninsula at Elephant Pass.

Meanwhile in 1902, the building of the Northern Line had also commenced from the other end, on

the Jaffna peninsula. The line linking KKS, Jaffna and Pallai was opened in 1902, initially from KKS to

Chavakachcheri and through to Pallai. Pallai was reached also from the south and the Northern Line

was complete on 1st

of August 19051.

The creation of the Northern line acted as a catalyst for social change. It linked communities, ended

the isolation of Jaffna, broke down social tradition, caste prejudices, and also spread new ideas and

customs. For the first time newspapers from Colombo were available to all, which helped to

increase the reading habits of the people and broaden their outlook. This also led to the growth of

education, since people in Jaffna could send their children to Colombo or vice versa2.

Stations

The stations on the Northern Line and their relative distances are given below. There are 16 stations

between Vavuniya and KKS and a further 12 sub-stations. Some of the stations are crossing stations

since the track is single line all the way.

1 David Hyatt, Railways of Sri Lanka, COMRAC, London & Colombo, 2000

2 http://www.nation.lk/2008/03/02/eye6.pdf Rathindra Kuruwita - The Nation EYE Sunday March 2,

2008

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km Mileage Station Sub Station Code Distance

bet.Station

252.455 157.35 Vavuniya VNA

265.230 165.31 Omanthai OMT 12.775

276.412 172.26 Puliyankulam PKA 11.182

297.660 185.52 Mankulam MKM 21.248

314.527 196.20 Murukkandi MRK 16.867

318.976 198.72 Murukkandi

Tem. MRH

328.422 205.00 Killinochchi KOC 13.895

333.848 208.21 Paranthan PRN 5.426

276.412 212.48 Elephant Pass EPS

355.825 221.43 Pallai PAL 21.977

363.208 226.40 Eluthumattvual EML

367.883 229.32 Mirusuvil MSL

370.781 231.15 Kodikamamam KKM 14.956

374.118 233.34 Meesalai MES

376.261 234.51 Sankathathnai SAK

378.087 235.57 Chavakachcheri CCH 7.306

383.653 239.18 Thachanthoppu TPH

386.743 241.11 Navatkuli NVT 8.656

391.765 244.24 Punkankulam PNK

393.933 245.45 Jaffna JFN 7.19

396.738 247.28 Kokuvil KKV

398.504 248.44 Kondavil KDV 4.571

401.018 250.05 Inuvil INL

403.344 251.30 Chunnakam CKA 4.84

405.094 252.45 Mallakam MAL 1.75

407.559 254.09 Tellipallai TPI

409.231 255.10 Mavittapuram MVT

409.821 255.20 Kankesanthurai C F CFS 4.727

411.390 256.35 Kankesanthurai KKS 1.569

158.935

Railway Operation before the Conflict

The railway before the conflict was operating the following number of train services daily:

• Night Mail – 02 trains

• Express Trains – 04 trains

• Goods trains – 06 (including oil trains)

• Local trains – 16 (between KKS and Killinochchi)

• Special Train – on Weekends.

• One Intercity Express was operating from 1984 to 1985.

The railway was maintaining travel times between 6 ½ to 12 hours for these trains between

Colombo and Jaffna. For example in 1988, an Express Train which left Fort Railway station in

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Colombo at 545 hours reached Jaffna at 1445 hours. Mail Trains took longer. The Intercity Express

which operated for a short period in 1984/85 had just a few stops en route was scheduled for 6 ½

hours.

Road Transport in the pre-conflict period took around 10 hours. However with the planned

expressways it is likely to be reduced to around 3 ½ hours to Anuradhapura and with the restoration

of the A9 to a standard 2 lane highway road transport will take around 7 hours to reach Jaffna.

How fast should the new railway operate?

Hence rail speeds in order to be competitive has to be designed for travel within 6 ½ maximum. This

is possible with the alignment which exists now and can be achieved with heavy rail of 60 kg/metre,

seamless rail and thick ballast so that a top design speed of 120 km/hr is attainable. The traffic levels

at present would not justify any thing more than a single track.

Inter-modalism for the New Railways

One of the key roles of the new railway line would be to contribute towards transport efficiency by

providing inter-modal facilities at its stations. The nearly 400 km length makes it a preferred mode

of transport by rail as opposed to road for both passenger and goods transport. Therefore all

stations should be designed to fully integrate hinterland access for both passengers and goods. Such

stations would also be ideal for location of supply chain centres which would have packaging,

processing activities. Another service for stations between Killinochchi and KKS would be the

commuter traffic to and from Jaffna. In the pre-conflict days there were a total of 16 local train

operations within this section of line. Thus the railway could be developed as a commuter mode

whereby both Jaffna and Kilinochci can be strategically developed as two commercial and

administrative centres by providing for integrated bus transport to stations along the line as well as

by providing facilities such as park and ride for bicycles, motor bicycles etc. This line could also be

used by school children and university students living in these townships to attend their schools or

campuses by train.

Moreover, there are two ports at KKS and Point Pedro that can provide regional and coastal shipping

services. Of these KKS is directly accessible by train and thus this station could be fully integrated

with the port so that container shipments could be moved between rail and ship.

In addition the airport at Palali is also located around 3 kms from the KKS station. This also could be

integrated to promote intermodal travel by tourists, officials and businessmen who could take the

train to and from the airport to Jaffna other suburban town centres such as Chavakachcheri.

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4.Socio-Economic Activities

What the Population was before the Conflict

At the time of the last Census in the Jaffna District (which included the present Killinochchi District

as well) in 1981 and before conflicts began, the population in the townships are recorded as follows:

Jaffna MC 118,224

Chavakachcheri UC 19,707

Point Pedro UC 15,023

Velvettithurai UC 14,121

Kankesanthurai TC 14,549

Killinochchi UC 15,336

Chunnakam TC 16,118

The rural population in the Jaffna District was 559,979 giving a total population of 739,000 in the

Jaffna District in 1981. This was 16.3% more than the population in 1971 giving an annual growth

rate of 1.6% for the period 1971-1981.

Apart from the population in the Jaffna District, the railway served people in Vavuniya District which

had an urban population of 18,512 in Vavuniya town and a rural population of 76,916. It also

provided transfer links those living to the east of the railway in Mullaitivu District which had 7,192

urban and 69,997 rural populations. Moreover it, provided mobility by transfer to around 92,304

people living to the west of the railways in the northern most areas of Mannar District. In all an

estimated 260,000 people living outside the Jaffna District would also have been served. This would

make the total population served by the railway in 1981 around exactly 1 million.

The population survey carried out by the Department of Census & Statistics in 2007 gives the

current population in Jaffna District as 559,619 a decrease of 24.2% over the year 1981. Of this

128,239 are those who have stated they have been displaced by the conflict and a further 2,295

displaced by the tsunami. There are no estimates of population in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu

Districts.

Potential for Regional Development

The development in the Northern Province can potentially take the following forms:

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Agriculture

Most of Jaffna Peninsula was developed for agriculture. As a net producer of inions, potatoes and

even fruits such as mangoes and grapes were transported to Colombo in large numbers. In addition

there is scrub land in the Vanni that is now cultivated as chenas. These products to reach markets in

cities such as Colombo and its suburbs will need direct transport facilities. The railway therefore will

be developed to be able to carry such products under normal condition as well as under refrigerated

condition for which the railway carriages as well as the facilities as selected stations will be

developed. These stations will have logistics centers where there would be cleaning, processing and

packaging centers so that such agricultural produces can be adequately prepared for the markets

before shipment. The road network connecting such production areas and the stations will be

identified and steps would be taken to improve the bus and trucking services to and from such

places to the stations. This would help to improve the economic conditions of many farmers and

their families who are presently under productive due to access to markets. Stations such as

Mankulam, Paranthan and Kodikakamam should be developed for this with suitable infrastructure.

Fishing

Areas in Pooneryn, Mannar Basin as well as the coats off Mullaitivu are considered very rich fishing

grounds. In earlier times, fish from these areas reached Colombo. In this development it is proposed

that stations such as Mankulam, Paranthan and KKS be developed for transport of fish as well as the

processing and packaging of fish prior to transport. These stations will connect both the eastern and

western coasts of the country through road transport.

Industries

Paranthan is ideally located for development as an industrial township. This was formerly the

location of the Paranthan Chemicals Corporation. KKS was also an industrial city with the cement

factory being located there. The salterns which produced salt consumed by people from all parts of

the country was located at Elephant Pass. The entire northern area is rich with mineral deposits

including limestone required for production of cement. Moreover these deposits are to be found at

very shallow depths making their exploitation commercially viable.

Cultural Tourism

The Northern Province has several important locations that are of religious and cultural significance.

The Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil or Nallur Murugan Kovil built in 1749 is one of the most significant

Hindu temples in Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The temple hosts annual festivals like the Temple car

festival and Thaipusam. These festivals are major crowd attractor from all parts of the country.

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The Nagadeepa island also known as Nainatheevu is a small but notable island 30 km off the coast of

Jaffna Peninsula. It is home to the historic Buddhist shrine Naga Vihare and the renowned historic

Hindu shrine Nagabooshani Amman temple. The island is mentioned in ancient Buddhist legends of

Sri Lanka such as Mahavamsa and in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature of nearby Tamil Nadu.

This island is of interest to many communities and would therefore be one of the most important

traffic attractors to the north.

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5.Development of Towns

The railway line and the A9 main highway create the strong functional link to the main town centers

in the northern region as well as the rest of the country. In the process of the redeveloping the

railway line, the following locations can be identified as new townships and urban agglomerations to

be develop parallel to railway development.

• Vavuniya

• Mankulam

• Kilinochchi-Iranamadu-Paranthan

• Jaffna, Chavakachcheri, Kankesanthurai

Vavuniya

Vavuniya is a mono-centric medium scale town located on the A9 road with the railway station. The

population of the town is approximately 50,000 inhabitants. This town functions as a transit centre

for the northern region. The town is developed along the A9 road and highways leading to Mannar

and Trincomalee. This town is also functions as agricultural service centre providing services such as

marketing, inputs, raw materials and other essential services to the farmers in the northern region.

With the redevelopment railway line and the expansion of the station the Vavunia town centre can

be further developed as a major logistic centre and the dedicated economic centre to promote the

economy. The town has greater potential to increase its population up to 100,000 by 2015 with a

proper planning effort.

Mankulam

Mankulam is a small town located either side of the A9 road and the railway line. The town has

strong link to Mullaitivu Town via the A34 road. This town functions as a residential town with

agricultural services. There are potential to develop this town a primary agro collecting centre with

residential development. It is important to plan and design this town to accommodate about

20,000 inhabitants.

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Kilinochchi-Iranamadu- Paranthan

Kilinochchi-Iranamadu is also a Medium town located along the A9 road and the railway line. This

town has strong connection to Mullaitivu Town. Iranamadu town developed either side of the A9

road and along the main road from Killinochchi to Mullaitivu (A35) and functions as an agricultural

service centre. This town has a potential to attract more population and develop as an agro based

industrial town. Paranthan is a small town located along the railway station just 2 kms north of

Kilinochchi. This town functions as an industrial town with the Chemical Factory. There is potential

to develop this town as an industrial town with residential development. It is important to plan and

design this town to accommodate about 50,000 inhabitants and therefore important to allocate

adequate land for value added industries. The station should be developed with the storage facilities

for industrial products in order to transport them to KKS and other towns.

Metro Jaffna (Jaffna, Elephant Pass, Pallai, Chavakachcheri, KKS )

Jaffna has a good potential to develop as an economic hub, with an educated and an

entrepreneurial workforce. Around 500,000 inhabitants are living in Jaffna peninsular. Jaffna should

be developed as a metro urban centre with the population up to 700,000 by the end of 2015. The

Metro Jaffna will be developed as a multiple economic growth centre with agricultural sector

especially cash crop cultivation, fisheries sector, tourism, mining and industrial sector development.

All the railway station should be expanded to promote all economic activities by providing storage

facilities and the connectivity. The important station centers are Elephant pass, Pallai,

Chavakachcheri, Jaffna and KKS.

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6.Development of Stations

Once mobility in terms of an acceptable travel speed and direct transport connections are made, in

a railway the next most important features is the locations of its stations. The railway stations

should not just be a point of embarkation or disembarkation of train passengers which are spread

out every 10 to 20 km, but also points of attracting development. To that objective stations will be

developed as multi- modal transport nodes.

It is proposed that each of the station be thus developed based on the development potential of

that township and the hinterland area it serves. In this respect some stations will have special

features such as industries, tourism etc.

The other smaller stations should also be developed as integrated transport and development nodes

in order to accelerate development and to reduce costs of both goods and passenger transport.

Each of these stations and the land adjoining the station is to be developed as follows:

• Modern Railway Station

• Modern Bus Terminal with direct access from station

• Logistics Centre and Warehousing to be rented out which can be used by both

railway and road transport vehicles

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It is envisaged that the restored northern railway line will have the following station based

developments.

Station

(km from Colombo)

Features of the Proposed Development

KKS (409.8 to 411.4 km) There are presently two stations in KKS with one serving the cement

factory. These could be developed to cater to the cement factory as

well as other industries that could be located close to the station and

the port. Port related industries could be developed in this area which

could possibly be turned out to an Industrial Zone. The close proximity

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to the Palali airport will facilitate fast connections and even provide for

rail, road, air and sea transport options to the industrialists.

Jaffna (393 km) This is the largest city in the northern part of Sri Lanka. The railway

station would require to be developed as the major passenger terminal

in the north. Given the extent within which the residential areas are

located, the station needs to have better connections with bus

transport.

The upper floor of the station which was a very popular dormitory for

low budget travelers will once again be revived along with a few

commercial activities to ensure financial viability of these premises.

These facilities can be well utilized during the festival season of the

Nallur Kovil as well as for sight seers visiting places of national interest

such as Naga Deepa and Point Pedro which is the northern most point

of the country. Jaffna station could be developed as a Tourist Station

with facilities for authorized agents for transport, accommodation,

tours etc which can be planned and provided as against the un

controlled business that can develop in the absence of such

arrangements which also brings associated problems with it. Jaffna

Station can also be developed as a commuter station for people coming

by train for work and school in Jaffna town from suburban townships.

Chavakachcheri (236

km)

The gateway to the peninsular. It is the largest suburban centre to the

south of the Jaffna town. This can be developed as a passenger terminal

for commuters as well as a stop of express trains to Colombo. The bus

services should be developed to serve areas surrounding areas.

Kodikamamam (231 km) Is an important transit point before Jaffna. Point Pedro which is an

important town in the peninsula does not have rail connection.

Therefore people who come by train to get to Point Pedro transfer to

road vehicles at this point. It is therefore intended to develop this

station as a transit station with a bus terminal adjacent to the station.

Since this is an important nodal point in the road network also, it is

proposed to develop a Logistics Centre with modern equipment also

adjacent to the railway station so that wholesalers can transport

commodities by rail and local distribution can be done by road. The

Jaffna peninsula is a rich agricultural areas which produced crops such

as onions, potatoes, vegetables and fruits. The Kodikamamam station

along with the terminal station at KKS could be developed for this

purpose with storage, processing and packaging facilities adjacent to

the station.

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Elephant Pass (212 km) Elephant Pass was earlier a sub-station. This may be elevated to an

industrial station which can handle salt, fish and other small scale

industrial products. It may also be developed as a passenger terminal to

serve areas such as Vettilakerni and Nagar Kovil on the eastern isthmus

of the peninsula.

Paranthan (208 km) This was earlier a freight station which served the once vibrant

Paranthan Chemicals Corporation. This is ideally the location for

another industrial zone in the north. Land adjacent to the tracks in

addition to the freight station could be developed for processing and

packaging and setting up of industries especially fish based products.

The westward connection to Pooneryn as well as the connection to

Mullaitivu makes this a logical processing point for fish, since both

those areas including the Jaffna lagoon are rich fishing grounds. The

passenger terminal may be at Killinochchi located 3 km to the south.

Killinochchi (205 km) This is the 2nd

largest town in northern area, it is a little located 40 km

south of Jaffna and 48 km north of Vavuniya. Kilinochci given its

population warrants a major railways station. This will also be a natural

nodal point as Mullaitivu district can be accessed vis the A35 road

passing Puthukuddiyuruppu town. This distance by road between

Mullaitivu and Kilinochci is about 50 kms and a good bus-train

connection from Mullaitivu will ensure that the travel time connection

between Mullaitivu and Jaffna is not more than 2 ½ hours. This will

form a very good regional connection.

The road to the west also provides connectivity up to the western coat

line and the northern part of Kilinochci District which includes the once

flourishing Nallur town. First century AD stone pillars, and ruins of the

Buddhist "Lumbini" vihara are also found here which will promote

tourist travel to the region. Killinochchi is 100 km (62 mi) south of the

once flourishing Nallur city off the coast of the Jaffna Lagoon.

Mankulam (185 km) Mankulam is located mid point between Vavuniya and Killinochchi. This

is an important town centre as well as a transit point. Mankulam

provides the southern approach to Mullaitivu through A34 via

Oddusudan which is around 48 km. It also provides the western

connection to small townships in the Vani such as Mallavi and

Vellankulum by the coast. This will vastly increase the area that can be

served by rail for both passenger and goods transport. Good bus/rail

connections are required for this purpose as would be a logistics hub.

This station should be developed as a transit station with bus terminal

adjacent to the station and also out bound and in bound warehousing

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including refrigerated warehouses for fish, fruits and vegetables which

can be transported by rail.

Other Stations

Mallakam (252 km)

Chunnakam (251 km)

Kondavil (248 km)

Navatkuli (241 km)

Pallai (221 km)

Murikandy (196 km)

Puliyankulum (172 km)

Omanthai (165 km)

Each of the other stations and the land adjoining the station is to be

developed as follows:

i. Modern Railway Station

ii. Modern Bus Terminal with direct access from station

iii. Logistics Centre and Warehousing to be rented out which can

be used by both railway and road transport vehicles.

7.Project Concept

The Government of Sri Lanka conceptualizes this Uthuru Mithuru project not as a mere exercise of

reconstructing the Northern railway line to Jaffna and Kankasanthurai, but also as a bridge of

fraternity between the people of the North and the South. Therefore, deviating from the typical

infrastructure development project, the Uthuru Mithuru takes a different shape where wider

participation of general public in rebuilding this giant project, in whichever capacity they wish to

contribute.

The revival of the inherent strength of Sri Lankans is intended, which enabled the construction of

wonders through people’s participation along our proud history of more than 2500 years, and the

true sense of “national ownership” to the asset that will be thence created is expected to go long

way in healing the wounds of the recent past, and to form a harmonious homogeneity in diversity.

The project will consist of the relaying of track, rehabilitation or rebuilding of bridges and

reconstruction of Stations, new installation of signal and communication systems. Each of these

components will be disaggregated into sub-activities, which are of manageable size, and will be

made available for the patriotic citizens, groups, organizations or companies to individually or jointly

undertake. The participation may be extended in number of ways, ranging from simple monetary

contribution to collective undertaking of construction work of any one or more of these sub-

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components. This concept has already received positive acclamation with Hambantota people

mobilizing to reconstruct the Jaffna railway station, and Matara people to reconstruct Kilinochchi

station.

The project also ensures that every cent received as contributions is appreciated, as much as every

drop of sweat. The Government is currently formulating the institutional framework to ensure that

the contributions are secured, properly administered under the supervision of the Treasury, and the

utilization scrutinized by the Auditor General. This will ensure that the contributions made by the

general public towards implementation of this project are deployed for the said purpose, only for

that purpose, and nothing but for that purpose.

8.Cost of Rehabilitating Railway Line3

The total cost for the rehabilitation of a single line track from Vavuniya to KKS, with buildings but without rolling stock is

given below as Rs 14,500 million (USD 140 mn).

item Description Unit Rate Rs

Qty Amount Rs Material Transport Labour Total

1 Preliminary and general items including Project

Sum

700,000,000

3 Source; Sri Lanka Railways

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management

2 Surveying of existing trace & clearing of site

km 800,000 169 135,200,000

3 Repair to formation to bring it to correct profile

km 5,100,000 169 861,900,000

4 laying of 250mm ABC layer including compaction

km 3,360,000 169 567,840,000

5

Laying of rails including rail fastenings & fish plates (UIC60, 13.72m length) with transport for Open Line km 23,184,000 788,867 918,750 24,891,617 159 3,957,767,103

6

Laying of rails including rail fastenings & fish plates (UIC60, 13.72m length) with transport for loops and sidings km 23,184,000 788,867 918,750 24,891,617 12 298,699,404

7 Laying of concrete Sleepers including fastening, transport for open line km 14,200,000 437,879 1,431,818 16,069,697 159 2,555,081,818

8 Laying of concrete Sleepers including fastening, transport for loop lines & sidings km 14,200,000 437,879 1,431,818 16,069,697 12 192,836,364

9 Welding of rails, Gas pressure/flash butt/Thermit km - - - 2,500,000 159 397,500,000

10 Welding of rails Gas pressure/ thermit km - - - 2,500,000 12 30,000,000

11 Track Ballasting km 3,708,600 1,012,494 3,500,000 8,221,094 171 1,405,807,074

12 Turnouts, 1/12 Nos 5,957,000 140,068 510,000 6,607,068 26 171,783,765

13 Turnouts, 1/8 Nos 4,508,000 114,262 510,000 5,132,262 26 133,438,819

14 Repair to bridges and culvert L.S. 650,000,000

15 Construction of station buildings Nos 15,000,000 13 195,000,000

16 Construction of Sub station buildings Nos 4,000,000 13 52,000,000

17 Construction of quarters, bungalows etc.. Nos 6,000,000 47 282,000,000

18 Repairs to Level Crossings Nos 250,000 200 50,000,000

19 Men's quarters Sum 250,000,000

20 CEM's Facility -Sheds, office, quarters etc 200,000,000

21 Contingencies 1,413,145,654

Total 14,500,000,000 Note- Provision of 3rd line with buffers at either end has been made only for stations at MKM, KOC,PAL,JFN and KKS. Cost of equipment and machinery not included.

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The required equipment and machinery is given in Appendix II.

9.Development of Bus Services

The area is presently served only by bus services. However these buses have not been replaced for

long period due to the on going conflict and services have not expanded due to constraints in

mobility.

The plan for reviving bus transport includes the follows:

• Construction of bus terminals as multi-modal terminals, adjacent to railway stations.

• Restoration of long-distance bus services such as Colombo-Jaffna, Kandy-Jaffna, Jaffna-

Trincomalee, Jaffna-Batticaloa, Jaffna-Mannar etc by both SLTB (state operator) and private

sector.

• Reconstruction of New SLTB (state bus) Depots in Killinochchi and Mullaitivu

• Rehabilitation of SLTB depots and re-fleeting of depots in Jaffna peninsula

• Re-fleeting of private buses serving within the region through an assistance program. There

are presently 546 private buses operating in Jaffna Distract while a further 58 operate in

Vavuniya. administered by the respective Government Agents under the NTC Act.

• Re-planning of regional routes to better serve township developments proposed

• Upgrading of bus stops and halts within the province.

10. Cost of Restoring Bus Transport

While restoration of the railways is to be expedited, there will be a two fold responsibility on bus

transport as follows:

1. To provide transport services between Jaffna and Colombo as soon as the A9 is open and

until the railway is fully operational

2. To provide connected/feeder services to railway stations

3. To provide for intra-regional and local services

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4. To provide for road based transport for travel between city pairs where railway connections

do not exist or are length or too time consuming.

Overall in the country, bus transport accounts for 61% of passenger trips, while the railway

carries another 5%. Hence priority should be given simultaneously to ensure that the

transport needs of the people in the short term as well are fully satisfied. Hence some

government intervention would be required to ensure that bus transport starts off

immediately in an organized manner.

The following costs are identified for bus transport development over a one year period.

Nos Rate Rs Total Rs

Depots (Kokavil-Jaffna) 1 50,000,000 50,000,000

Depots (Kayts, Point Pedro, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu) 4 30,000,000

120,000,000

Buses for Depots 200 3,500,000 700,000,000

Bus Terminal (large) 6 100,000,000 600,000,000

Bus Terminal (small) 10 20,000,000 200,000,000

Bus Replacement Program (buses) 600 250,000 150,000,000

Bus Shelters 100 100,000 10,000,000

Bus Stops 200 10,000 2,000,000

TOTAL

1,832,000,000

• These include the restoration of 6 depots and equipping those. Other than the Jaffna

(Kondavil Depot) the others are non existent.

• This also includes 200 new buses for these 6 depots for commencing services within

the province as well as long distances.

• The cost of developing 6 large bus terminals as multi modal terminals along with the

railway stations has been included together with the cost of another 10 smaller

terminals at the smaller stations.

• It also provides assistance for existing private sector operators to upgrade their

buses most of which are either 26-seater and in some cases even smaller vehicles

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which are in run down condition. The cost includes a one-off incentive to attract

them to invest in newer larger capacity buses. The average bus penetration ratio in

Sri Lanka is 800 buses or 30,000 bus seats per 1 million people. Therefore it is

expected that the 600 private buses and the 300 state buses will be adequate for the

expected population that would resettle in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and

Mullaitivu Districts.