Colombo | The restoration of the northern railway track with India's aid to Sri Lanka has begun in the cyclone-hit island nation, officials said on Monday.
New Delhi has extended full assistance for the complete reconstruction of the cyclone-damaged Northern Railway Line from Mahawa Junction to Omanthai.
India launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 to provide relief, recovery assistance and restore connectivity in Sri Lanka.
The Ministry of Transport said that the ceremony for the commencement of work was attended by the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, Santosh Jha, and the Minister of Transport, Bimal Rathnayaka.
The restoration work began on Sunday at the Mahawa junction in the northwestern region, with the Indian grant of USD 5 million, according to the ministry.
This marks the beginning of the implementation of projects under India's USD 450 million reconstruction package to Sri Lanka, which was hit by Cyclone Ditwah in November, causing widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in over 600 deaths.
The package was announced during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Sri Lanka. It includes USD 350 million in concessional Lines of Credit and USD 100 million in grants.
According to Sri Lanka Railways, the reconstructed railway line is expected to be fully operational before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on April 14.
The Indian assisted rail track modernisation began in 2019 and 2024 in two phases. The 370 km long track was to feature a new signal network to raise the speed to 100 km/h.
Under the project, it was designed to create bridges and tunnels for the elephants to transit under the track without being harmed by speeding trains.
The ministry said that along with the USD 5 million aid, the Indian expertise, technology and equipment will also be used.
Reconstruction work will be carried out by IRCON International Limited, an Indian engineering and construction corporation established by the Indian Railways.
“Mahawa Junction is a key point in the railway network. Five bridges and tunnels for elephants to pass would be constructed through the Indian aid," said Minister Rathnayaka.
The government earlier announced that over USD 320 million would be needed to restore the railway tracks after the rail infrastructure was destroyed by the catastrophic cyclone Ditwah.
The cyclone caused soil erosion and left rail tracks at most places to hang without solid earth support. Many railway bridges were damaged and collapsed, with the signal systems suffering critical damage.
