A recent performance audit has raised serious concerns about the Railway Communication System Improvement Project, revealing that millions of dollars in foreign and local funds have been invested in equipment that remains unused, delayed, or underutilised despite being financed through international loans.
According to the audit, $ 11.16 million (around Rs. 3.3 billion) had been allocated under the Colombo Suburban Railway Efficiency Improvement Project for communication upgrades, largely funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka.
The project was intended to modernise railway communications, improve safety, reduce accidents, and streamline train operations. However, auditors have found significant inefficiencies and failures in implementation.
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Sri Lanka Railways General Manager Ravindra Pathmapriya said the new audit report would be discussed at the audit committee meeting scheduled this week.
The audit has revealed that 2,195 mobile phones valued at Rs. 131.8 million have been distributed to railway operations, maintenance, security, and gate staff, yet many of these devices remain idle due to weak enforcement of usage.
Similarly, 1,239 fixed line telephones worth Rs. 71.9 million have been installed across railway stations, signal rooms, and gates, but inconsistencies in use and poor maintenance have reduced their effectiveness.
Even more concerning is that high-value equipment such as system monitoring devices worth Rs. 7.9 million and voice recording devices worth Rs. 53.4 million have been procured for the Maradana, Nawalapitiya, and Anuradhapura control centres, but these devices have never been fully operationalised because locomotive drivers have failed to engage with the dispatcher system, leaving them largely redundant.
The project had been contracted in November 2020 to a joint venture company for $ 7.49 million, with completion scheduled for October 2021. However, the deadline had been extended twice, first to April 2022 and then to July 2022, while by December 2023 nearly $ 7.35 million had already been spent, including a significant advance payment. Despite heavy expenditure, many of the intended improvements remain unrealised.
The audit has criticised the Railways Department for negligence, emphasising that the failure to enforce the use of communication devices, repeated delays in completing the project, and lack of accountability had undermined one of its main objectives — minimising railway accidents.
The report has recommended making it mandatory for officers to use the devices, backed by disciplinary measures for negligence, ensuring timely maintenance and servicing of communication equipment, and developing mechanisms for verifiable confirmation of communication between the Chief Railway Controller and stations.
It has also suggested redistributing devices that had been handed to institutions and officers who did not require them and consulting train drivers to improve locomotive communication systems which remain practically unusable in their current state.