Rail politics: Sri Lanka snubs India

by admin
Feb 16, 2011

Sri Lanka swapped a Chinese-made train for the Indian ones to be used on the service when the Galle-Matara high-speed line was inaugurated Wednesday.

The track, destroyed in the 2004 tsunami, has been rebuilt by Indian firm IRCON, and was entirely funded by Indian credit.

The Indian-made locomotives to service the route have arrived in Sri Lanka, but railway officials said they were “not ready”.

So Indian High Commissioner Ashok Kantha and the other dignitaries traveled in a Chinese-made train on the maiden run.

The train hit 100km/h - but started and arrived late.

See LBO’s report here

Photo: R.K.Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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