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Park-and-Ride to Colombo from tomorrow

14 Jun 2022

 
  • New transport services to conserve fuel
  • Luxury trains and school buses added
  • Cycling lane down Marine Drive 
  Several new public transport services are scheduled to commence tomorrow (15) to help the public face the increasingly heavy burden of fuel costs and shortages in the country, including the Park-and-Ride system, which is aimed at both reducing fuel consumption and traffic congestion. Minister of Transport and Highways and Mass Media Dr. Bandula Gunawardana, addressing a media briefing held yesterday (13), said that the public transportation system needs to be improved. “Due to the increase in fuel prices, we need to make the public transport system more efficient and productive in order to provide relief to the public. Thus, we have introduced several new services, which are due to begin from tomorrow (15),” he said. The Park-and-Ride system, which was initially introduced in 2020, will be operational again from tomorrow. Thus, those arriving in their private vehicles to Makumbura, Katubedda, and Kadawatha through the highway will be able to park their vehicles and commute via luxury bus to Colombo city. From 6.30 a.m. to 8 a.m., these buses will operate every 10 minutes, while from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., they will operate every 15 minutes from Colombo city. During the intermediate times, they will operate on an hourly basis.  Furthermore, a new luxury train service will operate daily from Colombo to Kandy, starting at 5.20 a.m. from Colombo. Every evening, it will travel back from Kandy at 4.50 p.m. Furthermore, a daily train for office workers will be introduced from the Waga Train Station to Colombo, scheduled to arrive at the Colombo Fort Station at 8.12 a.m. and leave Colombo Fort at 4 p.m.  A weekend luxury train will operate from Colombo to Jaffna, starting from this week. A night train will leave Mount Lavinia every Friday at 10 p.m. and leave Jaffna, every Sunday, at 10 p.m. The Anuradhapura-Colombo train, which has already started its trial run, will be made permanent, thus allowing passengers to take the train daily from Anuradhapura at 3.45 a.m. or from Colombo at 4.15 a.m.  Commenting on the bus services, Gunawardana said that 20 new school buses will enter Colombo from tomorrow. “In a month, the number will be increased to 50 buses,” added Gunawardana.  Additionally, Transport and Highways Ministry Secretary R.W. Premasiri said that a cycling lane will be introduced along Marine Drive for cyclists soon.  “During the tenure of former Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Namal Rajapaksa, we conducted a trial run for cyclists from Battaramulla to Colombo Fort. But even then, we informed him that a separate cycling lane was needed for this. For that, we have checked the roads on which we can provide a cycling lane, and have informed the Road Development Authority (RDA). With the RDA, we will implement a cycling lane in Marine Drive and in the inner roads, and we will start a programme to give space for cyclists too,” said Premasiri.  Fuel shortages have crippled the country over the past few months and the Ministry of Power and Energy will introduce a weekly fuel quota for consumers from the first week of July, as well as registering consumers at filling stations, as a solution. Sri Lanka has been heavily dependent on Indian credit lines, totalling $ 700 million, for fuel imports over the last few months.  


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