Sri Lanka Railways received 25 brand new stainless steel coaches from China as the first part of a consignment of 100 coaches costing Rs. 25 million each. This is the first consignment of rail coaches delivered to the Sri Lanka Railways in 15 years.
New rail coaches and a fleet of 15 power sets were ordered from China through the efforts of Transport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma to improve the railway service that has come under severe criticism by commuters in the recent past.
The rail coaches build to specifications of Sri Lanka Railways carry a number of new features to provide more comfort and safety to passengers. Each compartment is 65 feet long as against the 45 and 55 feet length of the existing coaches. They also consist of air brakes in place of the existing vacuum brake system, Minister Alahapperuma said.
“The coaches will have a life span of 40 to 50 years without repairs as they are made of stainless steel. Sri Lanka Railways enters a new chapter in its service with the import of the entire compliment of 100 coaches by next month and 15 power sets by April 2008,” Mr. Alahapperuma added.
Each coach accommodates 100 seating facilities. Another of the new feature is the public address system that enables the Guard to provide passengers with travel information and warnings. Passengers could listen to music and news at other times, the Minister said.
“We expect to make the Sri Lankan rail service the best in South Asia in a couple of years and this is the first step,” Minister Alahapperuma stressed.
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DM
New rail coaches and a fleet of 15 power sets were ordered from China through the efforts of Transport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma to improve the railway service that has come under severe criticism by commuters in the recent past.
The rail coaches build to specifications of Sri Lanka Railways carry a number of new features to provide more comfort and safety to passengers. Each compartment is 65 feet long as against the 45 and 55 feet length of the existing coaches. They also consist of air brakes in place of the existing vacuum brake system, Minister Alahapperuma said.
“The coaches will have a life span of 40 to 50 years without repairs as they are made of stainless steel. Sri Lanka Railways enters a new chapter in its service with the import of the entire compliment of 100 coaches by next month and 15 power sets by April 2008,” Mr. Alahapperuma added.
Each coach accommodates 100 seating facilities. Another of the new feature is the public address system that enables the Guard to provide passengers with travel information and warnings. Passengers could listen to music and news at other times, the Minister said.
“We expect to make the Sri Lankan rail service the best in South Asia in a couple of years and this is the first step,” Minister Alahapperuma stressed.
Video
DM
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