The Cabinet has approved construction of a new railway bridge across the Mahaweli River between Sarasavi Uyana and Peradeniya on the Matale line, financed through an Indian Line of Credit allocated for rail infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.
The proposal came from the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, the Daily Mirror reported. Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said the project “aims to restore and develop railway infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Ditwah and will enable the integration of the Matale railway line into the national railway network,” according to EconomyNext.
Part of a larger Kandy plan
The bridge is one component of a plan to build an extensive suburban railway network across the Kandy metropolitan area, for which a feasibility study is currently underway.
Within that scope, authorities intend to double-track two stretches:
- the Main Line from Kadugannawa to Gampola via Peradeniya
- the Matale line from Peradeniya to Katugastota
Jayatissa said these works are needed to complete the planned double-tracking, remove bottlenecks created by existing single-track sections, and improve the network’s capacity, reliability and connectivity.
The 1865 Black Bridge stays in the programme
Asked by reporters whether the new bridge would end restoration of the historic “Black Bridge” (Kalu Paalama), Jayatissa said it would not.
“The restoration works will not be stopped,” he said. “It is alongside that, that work is being undertaken regarding the construction of this bridge.”
The Black Bridge, originally built in 1865 and single-track, was significantly damaged during the cyclone. Because of its age and structural limitations, the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau is carrying out repairs with technical assistance from the University of Peradeniya.
That answer matters: a new crossing a short distance away could have been read as a decision to abandon a 161-year-old structure. The government’s position is that the two proceed in parallel — the old bridge restored, the new one added to carry the double-tracking the Kandy plan requires.
Context
Cyclone Ditwah’s damage to the rail network continues to drive capital decisions almost a year on, and this is the second Indian-financed commitment cleared at Tuesday’s briefing, alongside a grant for 100 new Suwa Seriya ambulances. Work on the Kandy multimodal transport terminal reached 55 percent last week, giving the metropolitan-area programme two active strands.
A note on spelling: the Daily Mirror filing renders the storm “Cyclone Ditva”. This desk uses Ditwah, consistent with EconomyNext and with prior coverage.
Not reported
Neither filing gives a contract value for the bridge, a contractor, a construction timetable, or the size of the Indian Line of Credit drawn against. Neither says when the Kandy suburban rail feasibility study reports, nor whether the double-tracking of either stretch has funding beyond this single bridge.
