Sri Lanka will modernise its age-old railway sector by purchasing over 100 new carriages, engines and developing the stations, Transport Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said yesterday.

Minister De Silva said this will also help the government to strengthen the country’s public transportation sector as majority of Sri Lankans depended on it on a daily basis, reports Xinhua news agency.

The minister said these plans were part of the Colombo suburban railway project which is to be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Under this plan, the transport and civil aviation ministry together with Sri Lanka Railways will construct new parallel railway lines and modernise railway stations.

Apart from a nationwide network, new railway lines will also be put in place to connect Colombo to the Bandaranaike

International Airport.Thousands of tourists who visit Sri Lanka per year depend on the railway sector to explore many areas of the island. (IANS)