Sri Lanka railway tracks restoration will require around USD 320 million after Cyclone Ditwah, the island nation’s deputy transport minister said on Tuesday, according to PTI. The cyclone in November brought widespread flooding and landslides that left over 600 people dead in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka railway tracks restoration: $320m rebuild estimate
Photo: dailypioneer.com

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Cyclone Ditwah damage and rail disruption

Cyclone Ditwah damage also reached the rail network. Train services disruption followed after landslides buried large sections of track, as reported by The Daily Pioneer.

USD 320 million rebuild cost for key regions

Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena said Sri Lanka will have to spend more than USD 320 million to rebuild railway tracks in the Central Province and the Hill Country. He called the USD 320 million rebuild cost “a colossal amount of money.”

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Kandy train services resumption after the disaster

On the Kandy train services resumption, Gunasena said that in the immediate aftermath of the disaster trains were operating only up to Polgahawela, before services toward the central town could begin returning; related reporting on cyclone-damaged rail infrastructure has also been carried by The New Indian Express.

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