Only 3 out of 10 locos in operation; 120 coaches not used yet; SLSMU says

Only three locomotives imported from India have been commissioned and none of the imported train coaches have been added to the drive, the Sri Lanka Station Masters’ Union (SLSMU) said.

They said 120 train coaches out of 140 and 10 locomotives were imported from India during the past six months.

The union said each locomotive was priced at Rs. 70 million.

The SLSMU said there were no sleeperettes in the imported compartments, and the SLSMU said the authorities should make a request to make sleeperettes before importing them.

"In the history of our train service, there were first class, second class, and sleeperettes. "These  carriages were imported, even without considering the existing facilities," the union said.

These compartments are currently parked at the Maligawatte railway yard, they said.

Therefore, it is an injustice not to assign those  compartments and locomotives to replace the existing dilapidated ones.

The contracts were signed between Sri Lanka and India in 2017 and committed India to delivering 160. Compartments to its Southeast Asian neighbour while financing it through an Indian Line of Credit. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)