Boost for Northern transport

The North is entering the country's socio-economic mainstream after almost three decades. The Northern people, always industrious and persevering, are restarting their vocations and rebuilding their lives.

It will not be long before the North attains its pre-war glory. However, the rebuilding and restoration of all infrastructure facilities is essential in this exercise. The terrorists destroyed almost all the infrastructure facilities in the province, including the Northern railway line, many bridges and roads, telecom facilities, the electricity network and even health facilities. These have to be rebuilt almost from scratch and this is exactly what the Government's acclaimed Northern Spring program aims at.

It is in this context that we welcome moves by the Transport Ministry to streamline public transport in the North to provide a better transport service to the civilians there and for the benefit of visitors from other parts of the country. The lack of a coherent transport system in the North impedes the closer integration of the North and the South.

The new plan includes the combining of transport facilities provided by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and private bus owners as well as the opening of driver training schools in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Mannar. This will provide gainful employment to thousands of youth in the North. More State and private buses should be deployed in the region for the benefit of commuters.

The other good news is that bus services from Kilinochchi to Colombo, Batticaloa to Kilinochchi, Trincomalee-Kilinochchi, Mannar-Trincomalee, Mullaitivu-Colombo and Mullaitivu-Kilinochchi are to be started soon, in addition to the existing Jaffna-Colombo service. These services will link not only the North and the South, but also the North and the East, the other province which suffered heavily in the conflict. This step will have an immense impact on the economy of the two regions and on the lives of the residents.

More fuel/service stations and repair facilities will have to be established in the North for the smooth functioning of these bus services. The Government has already announced plans to open a filling station in Kilinochchi and the other major centres will also get filling stations soon. The recent reduction in fuel prices in the North will also act as a catalyst for Northern transport services.

All these services should be reasonably priced, considering the economic hardships faced by the Northern people for so long. Private operators willing to start services in the North and the more remote areas in the East should be given incentives and concessions where possible. The roads should be repaired to make bus travel easier.

Work on the Northern railway line is proceeding apace. Now that the authorities have an opportunity to build it anew, they should opt for the 'build back better' model, which will enable the use of faster trains. This is already being tried in the South. Hopefully, we could be looking at a Colombo-Jaffna travel time of 4-5 hours with a fast express train.

Meanwhile, the Railways Department has launched a new 'rail bus' service between Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa under the Eastern Resurgence program.

This is an ideal, comparatively low-cost (around Rs eight million per unit) solution. It has helped save millions of dollars in foreign exchange, as dedicated railway carriages imported from foreign manufacturers are very costly.

Under this initiative, several buses gifted by the Indian Government had been converted into rail buses suitable for local conditions at the Railway workshop in Ratmalana.

This is an ideal solution, because the lower passenger density on this stretch does not warrant the deployment a full-scale train. This model should be adopted for other low-volume areas in the North and the South.

We need more such inspiring solutions from local companies and engineers to meet the increasing demand for goods and passenger transport countrywide. A local manufacturer is already manufacturing world class buses. The authorities should encourage the SLTB and more private operators to opt for these buses, which will save foreign exchange. Many components needed for buses and rail carriages can also be sourced locally. Moreover, a number of local contractors have proved their mettle in building superb roads and bridges. Local expertise and solutions must be relied upon whenever possible and feasible in addressing transport concerns.