Sri Lankan News

Phase I of the reconstruction of the Omanthai Railway Station will be completed and the Northern railway line up to Omanthai open for public use by the 5th of next month, Railway Department sources said.

Deputy Minister of Social Services Lionel Premasiri said that they hope to finish construction of the 200-metre long railway platform within a few weeks. Once construction is finished, a special train will set out from Thandikulam to Omanthai declaring the station open.

The Minister said they will be able to complete some of the work ahead of schedule. He said 3.6 million rupees was allocated for the initial stage but that only 1.6 million rupees had been spent.

He was confident that more work could be done with the extra money.

Most of the workers were either members of the Civil Defence Force or volunteers from the Omanthai area, he said.

The entire Omanthai project is expected to cost over 26 million rupees. Once completed, the station would be the first in a series of stations that will be built according to international standards. The station is expected to be completed with a host of modern facilities such an in-house supermarket complex including an internet café, public library and restaurant.

Courtesy: Government Information Department