Japanese funded Light Rail Transport (LRT) from Colombo to Malabe (15km) Cost US$ 1.9bn compared to recently approved IMF facility of US$2.9bn. LRT cost is equivalent to almost 3 Southern expressways.
Instead just serving minor section of the community, Government of Sri Lanka should utilise funds to expands current road network covering entire Sri Lanka by connecting the current expressways and creating new townships which will contribute more significantly to the future growth of the country.
Unlike LRT, expansion of expressways around Sri Lanka is far more advantageous to Sri Lanka both economically and cost wise. Such expressways can be constructed by local contractors, with local resources, with rupee debt instead of getting a used Railway system abandoned by the Japanese at a cost of US$ 1.9bn.
Further more JPY appreciation during next 15 years is likely to increase the cost of this project significantly making it financially unviable.
PREPARATORY SURVEY ON THE PROJECT FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW LIGHTRAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM IN COLOMBO.
Download Report:
https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12307021_01.pdf
Why Develop expressways instead of Light Rail Transport (LRT)
New impetus to revive economy: An expressway covering entire country
Sri Lanka is a country in the shape of an ellipse. While the central part is mountainous, the rest of the island is a flat plain. The distance from the North to South is about 420 km and from East to West, it is about 220 km at the maximum point.
Based on these geographic factors, if an expressway is to be constructed in the most practical and cost-effective manner to cover the entire country, it is logical that it must be in an elliptical shape, parallel to the coast at a distance of 40-50 km from the coast.
At present, Sri Lanka is trapped in a serious economic downward spiral. The economy is paralysed and has no direction. The current leaders have not introduced any worthwhile strategy in a manner that generates any business confidence. Even on the rare occasions where various projects have been suggested, those have failed miserably, since there has been no strategy to raise the funds necessary to implement such projects.
For a country to progress, it is necessary that there should be far reaching proposals that are realistic, useful and beneficial to the people of the country. If that happens, the entire country will become a dynamic worksite.
