The Railway Department under the Ministry of Transport and with financial assistance from the Indian government under the Indian Line of Credit has embarked on this massive project of restoring the Northern rail tracks to restart the train services connecting the North and South.

According to the Department, a new signaling and telecommunication system for the Northern railway network has been installed with all level crossings been interlocked with a new bell and lighting system, to ensure the safety of the people and the work on the track and the installation of the signaling system between Pallai and Jaffna are almost complete, with a only few finishing touches left.

The train could travel at a speed of 120 kmph on the newly laid railway track. The People of the North can now travel to the South by train after three decades. The Pallai-Jaffna railway line has been reconstructed under the concessionary credit line amounting to around US$ 800 million provided by the Indian government to the Sri Lankan government to undertake the Northern railway reconstruction project in Sri Lanka. The Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) is carrying out the construction work.

(ST/KH)