LNP – Railway to be converted into profitable institution by 2023: Minister

The present government is targeting making the Railways Department a profitable entity while maintaining it as a public service, Transport Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said.

While addressing a one-day workshop for higher and middle-grade officials, the Minister said what the ministry needs to do is to mobilise all these resources and make the Railway Department a profit-making body.

She said the main objective of the workshop was to make the ailing railway department an attractive and profitable body by the year 2023.

The Transport Ministry has focused on a number of key issues in formulating plans to increase this revenue level, such as encouraging more people to use trains by providing an efficient and attractive service, increasing freight by 60%, increasing the current income from the commercial value of lands and properties owned by the department by 60%, and implementing an eco-friendly transport service island wide by expanding the railway.