The aim of the present government is to make the Railway Department a profitable institution while maintaining it as a public service. The Department of Railways has immense human and physical resources. What we need to do is mobilize all these resources and make the Railway Department profitable. Minister of Transport Mrs’ Pavithra Wanniarachchi stated this at a special one day workshop organized by the Ministry of Transport. 45 Upper and Middle Grade Officers of the Railway Department participated in this one day workshop.
The main objective of the workshop was to make the loss-making railway department an attractive and profitable department by the year 2023.Minister Mrs. Pavithra Wanniarachchi further stated that in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour development program of the President, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa,it has been stated as to the establishment of the Railway Department in Sri Lanka as a state-of-the-art railway service for the next decade.Accordingly, I have informed the Secretary to the Ministry in writing to prepare a project for this purpose.
At present officials of the Railway Department and the Ministry of Transport are working together with a new motivation. The Ministry of Transport has focused on a number of key issues in formulating plans to increase this revenue level.
1.Encouraging more people to use trains by providing an efficient and attractive service.
2.60% increase in freight transport.
3.Increasing the current income from the lands and properties with commercial value, owned by the department by 60%.
4.Implementing an eco-friendly transport service island wide by expanding the railway service. Following this one day workshop, officials of the Railway Department and the Ministry of Transport have handed over a package of proposals and recommendations to the Secretary to the Ministry of Transport regarding this program.The workshop was chaired by the Minister of Transport, Mrs. Pavithra Wanniarachchi and conducted by the Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Monty Ranatunga. Additional Secretaries to the Ministry of Transport and the General Manager of the Railway Department Mr. Dhammika Jayasundara were also present on the occasion.