Sri Lanka plans to purchase 12 train engines at over USD 4 million each for the Sri Lanka Railways to us on the upcountry rail line.

The train engines will be procured from the General Electric Company in the United States at a cost of USD 4.056 million each as per the recommendation of the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC).

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal made by Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to award the contract to the General Electric Company.

The Cabinet of Ministers has also approved another proposal put forward by the Transport and Civil Aviation Minister to develop the railway line from Maho to Omanthai.

Cabinet approval has already been granted for the reconstruction of the railway line from Maho to Omanthai under the Indian loan assistance.

The process of identifying engineers, procurement and construction contractors for the project has been initiated and bids have been issued to three institutions that have fulfilled selected criteria by considering the observations of the India Exim Bank.

The cabinet noted the Minister de Silva's submission that the construction of this railway line has been planned to be completed speedily in two phases - Maho-Anuradhapura section and Anuradhapura-Vavuniya section.