• Rs. 600,000 monthly revenue by contributing solar energy to the grid
• Park and ride yet to be monetised

By Sarah Hannan The Ministry of Transport has drawn plans for two more multimodal transport hubs (MTHs) in Kandy and Galle following the success of the first-ever multimodal transport hub that was constructed in Makumbura, Kottawa last year. According to ministry officials, the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Centre is to be used as the benchmark to further develop other MTHs that are to be constructed in the main cities across the country. The Sunday Morning spoke to Makumbura Multimodal Transport Centre Manager Dr. Kalyani to inquire whether the facilities provided at the hub are being properly utilised by the commuters. “We were given a target of Rs. 15.3 million in revenue generation per year, but with the Easter Sunday attacks and the drop in commuters using the facility during the Covid19 lockdown period, we only managed to bring in Rs. 11.2 million in revenue.” With it being opened to the public in March 2019, the MTH is frequented on a daily basis by commuters who enter the city of Colombo and travel to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle. According to Dr. Kalyani, the maintenance and upkeep of the hub is budgeted at Rs. 4.8 million, which also captures the monthly salaries of the staff that is operating the space. “We are planning to advertise the commercial vacant spaces in the coming months, so that the revenue can be improved from the rentals. For the moment, the facilities that generate revenue are the food court, janitorial services, rentals from ATM points, and the private banks,” Dr. Kalyani noted. Apart from that, the hub contributes energy generated through its solar panels to the national grid, which adds another Rs. 600,000 per month to its revenue. When asked about the utilisation of the park and ride facility, Dr. Kalyani noted that at present, the services are provided free, noting that there is a security point which records the entry and exit of vehicles from the parking space. “The park and ride facility is not generating revenue at present, as we do not operate a shuttle service provided from the hub. We are mainly dependent on the train schedule of the Kottawa Railway Station and the bus timetables of the Sri Lanka Transport Board and the National Transport Commission. But once we have our own shuttle service operating and the park and ride service has a charging mechanism introduced, revenue can be improved,” she noted. Kandy Multimodal Transit Terminal Ground work on the Kandy Multimodal Transit Terminal (KMTT) was initiated at the beginning of this year with the bus terminal at the Goodshed now being temporarily shifted to a temporary bus terminal established behind the Bogambara Stadium. The facility, once built, would eliminate the spatial scattering of the three existing bus terminals in Kandy – Goodshed, Clock Tower, and Torrington – by bringing all existing terminal operations under one roof at the Goodshed area of nearly three acres of land adjacent to the Kandy Railway Station. Proposed MTC in Galle Just last week, Urban Development Authority (UDA) Southern Provincial Director Janaka Ranaweera said that an MTH was proposed to be constructed at Dewata, which will link the Southern Expressway and the coastal railway line. Ranaweera noted that the colonial post office building complex in the Galle Fort, which is in a dilapidated state, will be repurposed and converted into an MTH, adding that an agreement is already signed with the Department of Posts. Preliminary steps are already underway for the initial phase of this project.