Proposal for the North-South Friendship Railway (Not So FaR) Uthuru Mithuru Friendship Railway

Amal S. Kumarage 15 th February 2009

Impacts of Terrorism

• One of the first casualties of terrorism was the severance of linkages by the terrorists between the north and the south as early as xxxxxxxx. Despite several repairs to track and bridges the line was permanently closed after the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The that connects the peninsula and the northern part was also closed after terrorists overran townships along the roadway around xxxx.

• With the severance of the once popular land transport linkages, people in the north and in the south were forced to take air transport or sea transport which were always either too expensive or too time consuming, besides been more riskier as well. Gradually linkages between the north and south reduced to a bear minimum and the different communities became strangers. With both rail and roadways fully or partially closed for around two decades, the once close communities became distant and suspect. With nearly one whole generation having ever been to the south or having met each other socially, the terrorist were able to sow seeds of a monstrous enemy and recruit many young fighters for their cause. Pre-requisite for Peace and Development

• The restoration of land transport is thus one of the first and necessary pre-requisites for lasting peace between communities. The restoration of the once popular trading linkages, pilgrimages to Kataragama by people in the north and to Naga Deepa by people in the south are essential building blocks for learning to trust each other. However, the restoration of the land transport link should also be seen as a pivotal investment in reviving the long battered economic condition of the northern areas. Basically, except for a few buildings in towns such as Killinochchi and in Jaffna in recent years. Hardly any infrastructure has been up graded or built anew. In most rural areas whatever infrastructure was there is destroyed. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the re-building of the railways follows the basic principles of regional development and provides for the rapid economic growth and social development of the region. North-South Friendship Railway (Not So FaR)

The Government of (GoSL) expects to launch this program on the 23 rd of April 2009, exactly 53 years after the Yaal Devi the popular train to Jaffna was first operated in 1956. The GoSL expects to make this a flagship project for rebuilding the country through rebuilding the vital North-South Friendship Railway (Not So FaR) by making early plans for immediate construction to follow securing the northern areas.

Vision Rebuild the country by rebuilding the railway together

Goal To build a modern railway line that will provide fast, reliable connections for both passenger and goods transport between the northern parts of the country that have for two decades been alienated, with the south and to lay the basic building blocks for integrated transport solutions for socio-economic development of the northern province. Canadian Pacific Railway Canada's very existence depended upon the finishing completion of the major civil engineering project, the creation of a transcontinental railway. Creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a task originally undertaken for a combination of reasons by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald . The Province of British Columbia had insisted upon a transport link to the east as a condition for joining the Confederation of Canada . The government however, proposed to build a railway linking the Pacific province to the eastern provinces within ten years of July 20, 1871. Macdonald also saw it as essential to the creation of a unified Canadian nation that would stretch across the continent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Railway#Buil ding_the_railway.2C_1881.E2.80.931885 Strategy

• The GoSL will adopt a strategy that will adopt sound planning and engineering methodologies to ensure

a state-of- the-art railway line well placed to serve regional development potential, built expeditiously

and efficiently with the maximum possible participation of different stakeholders while subscribing to

the highest norms of transparency and accountability to all people. This will include the following

efforts:

– Break up of the line length of approximately 160 km (252 km to 411 km) in to 10 sections of approximately 16 km length for purpose of rebuilding the track and to seek foreign funding for each of these sections.

– The GoSL will construct the first section from with its own funds.

– Signalling and communication to be funded separately (?)

– Each station to be planned as a transport and logistics hub integrating passenger and supply chain activities from the surrounding rural areas as well to provide a strong core for rapid development of these townships.

– Each station and bus terminal to be built by different communities from the south of Sri Lanka under a possible twinning program of two townships from north and south.

– Construction to commence from both KKS and Vavuniya so that there would be a symbolic ‘last peg’ in Pallai where the original track constructed from both ends met in 1905. (?) Early History of the Northern Line

The report of the Jaffna Railway Commission on a railway line to Jaffna was published in 1891. It recommended immediate construction of a line from Polgahawela to Kurunegala and a survey of a line to Jaffna.

The Kurunegala extension was approved in 1892 and opened on February 14, 1894. The light broad gauge line reached Maho in 1899 and reached on November 1, 1904. The Northern Line was initiated by the building of the line from Anuradhapura to Madawachchiya and Vavuniya and then through the wilderness of the , crossing into the at Elephant Pass. Meanwhile in 1902, the building of the Northern Line had also commenced from the other end, on the Jaffna peninsula. The line linking KKS, Jaffna and Pallai was opened in 1902, initially from KKS to Chavakachcheri and through to Pallai. Pallai was reached also from the south and the Northern Line was complete on 1st of August 1905.

The creation of the Northern line acted as a catalyst for social change. It linked communities, ended the isolation of Jaffna, broke down social tradition, caste prejudices, and also spread new ideas and customs. For the first time newspapers from were available to all, which helped to increase the reading habits of the people and broaden their outlook. This also led to the growth of education, since people in Jaffna could send their children to Colombo or vice versa. Railway Operation before the Conflict • The railway before the conflict was operating the following number of train services daily: – Night Mail – 02 trains – Express Trains – 04 trains – Mail Trains – 02 trains – Goods trains – 06 (including oil trains) – Local trains – 16 (between KKS and Killinochchi) – Special Train – on Weekends. – One Intercity (1984/85) The railway was maintaining travel times between 6 ½ to 12 hours for these trains between Colombo and Jaffna. For example in 1988, an Express Train which left Fort Railway station in Colombo at 545 hours reached Jaffna at 1445 hours. Mail Trains took longer. The Intercity Express which operated for a short period in 1984/85 had just a few stops en route was scheduled for 6 ½ hours.

Road Transport in the pre-conflict period took around 10 hours. However with the planned expressways it is likely to be reduced to around 3 ½ hours to Anuradhapura and with the restoration of the A9 to a standard 2 lane highway road transport will take around 7 hours to reach Jaffna. How fast should the new railway operate?

• Hence rail speeds in order to be competitive has to be designed for travel within 6 ½ maximum. This is possible with the alignment which exists now and can be achieved with heavy rail of 60 kg/metre, seamless rail and thick ballast. Inter-modalism for the New Railways

• One of the key roles of the new railway line would be to contribute towards transport efficiency by providing inter-modal facilities at its stations. The nearly 400 km length makes it a preferred mode of transport by rail as opposed to road for both passenger and goods transport. Therefore all stations should be designed to fully integrate hinterland access for both passengers and goods. Such stations would also be ideal for location of supply chain centres which would have packaging, processing activities. Another service for stations between Killinochchi and KKS would be the commuter traffic to and from Jaffna.

• In the pre -conflict days there were a total of 16 local train operations within this section of line. Thus the railway could be developed as a commuter mode whereby both Jaffna and Kilinochci can be strategically developed as two commercial and administrative centres by providing for integrated bus transport to stations along the line as well as by providing facilities such as park and ride for bicycles, motor bicycles etc. This line could also be used by school children and university students living in these townships to attend their schools or campuses by train.

• Moreover, there are two ports at KKS and Point Pedro that can provide regional and coastal shipping services. Of these KKS is directly accessible by train and thus this station could be fully integrated with the port so that container shipments could be moved between rail and ship.

• In addition the airport at Palali is also located around 3 kms from the KKS station. This also could be integrated to promote intermodal travel by tourists, officials and businessmen who could take the train to and from the airport to Jaffna other suburban town centres such as Chavakachcheri. What the Population was before the Conflict • At the time of the last Census in the (which included the present Killinochchi District as well) and before conflicts began, the population in the townships are recorded as follows: • Jaffna MC 118,224 • Chavakachcheri UC 19,707 • Point Pedro UC 15,023 • Velvettithurai UC 14,121 • TC 14,549 • Killinochchi UC 15,336 • TC 16,118 • Total Urban – 270,573 • The rural population in the Jaffna District was 559,979 giving a total population of around 830,000.

• Apart from the population in the Jaffna District, the railway served people in which had an urban population of 18,512 in Vavuniya town and a rural population of 76,916. It also provided transfer links those living to the east of the railway in District which had 7,192 urban and 69,997 rural populations. Moreover it, provided mobility by transfer to around 92,304 people living to the west of the railways in the northern most areas of .

• In all, around 1.1 million people were served by this line, which supports the 3 million trips that were estimated between the north and south prior to conflicts. Stations • The following stations were functioning on the Northern Line: • Omanthai • Puliyankulam • Mankulam • Murukkandi • Killinochchi • Paranthan • Elephant Pass • Palei • Kodikamam • Mirusavil • Chavakachcheri • Navakkulli • Jaffna • Kondavil • Chunnakam • KKS Potential for Regional Development

Agriculture (Mankulam, Paranthan and Kodikakamam )

Fisheries (Mankulam, Paranthan and KKS)

Industries (KKS, Paranthan)

Cultural/Tourism (Jaffna) Development of Stations Once mobility in terms of an acceptable travel speed and direct transport connections are made, in a railway the next most important features is the locations of its stations.

The railway stations should not just be a point of embarkation or disembarkation of train passengers which are spread out every 10 to 20 km, but also points of attracting development. To that objective stations will be developed as multi- modal transport nodes.

It is proposed that each of the station be thus developed based on the development potential of that township and the hinterland area it serves. In this respect some stations will have special features such as industries, tourism etc.

The other smaller stations should also be developed as integrated transport and development nodes in order to accelerate development and to reduce costs of both goods and passenger transport. Each of these stations and the land adjoining the station is to be developed as follows: •Modern Railway Station •Modern Bus Terminal with direct access from station •Logistics Centre and Warehousing to be rented out which can be used by both railway and road transport vehicles

Station Features of the Proposed Development

(km from Colombo) KKS (409.8 to 411.4 km) There are presently two stations in KKS with one serving the cement factory. These could be developed to cater to the cement factory as well as other industries that could be located close to the station and the port. Port related industries could be developed in this area which could possibly be turned out to an Industrial Zone. The close proximity to the Palali airport will facilitate fast connections and even provide for rail, road, air and sea transport options to the industrialists. Jaffna (393 km) This is the largest city in the northern part of Sri Lanka. The railway station would require to be developed as the major passenger terminal in the north. It is presently located around xx metres from the bus terminal on Stanly Road. Given the extent within which the residential areas are located, the station needs to have better connections with bus transport. The upper floor of the station which was a very popular dormitory for low budget travelers will once again be revived along with a few commercial activities to ensure financial viability of these premises. These facilities can be well utilized during the festival season of the Nallur Kovil as well as for sight seers visiting places of national interest such as Naga Deepa and Point Pedro which is the northern most point of the country. Jaffna station could be developed as a Tourist Station with facilities for authorized agents for transport, accommodation, tours etc which can be planned and provided as against the un controlled business that can develop in the absence of such arrangements which also brings associated problems with it. Jaffna Station can also be developed as a commuter station for people coming by train for work and school in Jaffna town from suburban townships.

Station Features of the Proposed Development

(km from Colombo) Chavakachcheri (236 km) The gateway to the peninsular. It is the largest suburban centre to the south of the Jaffna town. This can be developed as a passenger terminal for commuters as well as a stop of express trains to Colombo. The bus services should be developed to serve areas surrounding areas. Kodikamamam (231 km) Is an important transit point before Jaffna. Point Pedro which is an important town in the peninsula does not have rail connection. Therefore people who come by train to get to Point Pedro transfer to road vehicles at this point. It is therefore intended to develop this station as a transit station with a bus terminal adjacent to the station. Since this is an important nodal point in the road network also, it is proposed to develop a Logistics Centre with modern equipment also adjacent to the railway station so that wholesalers can transport commodities by rail and local distribution can be done by road. The Jaffna peninsula is a rich agricultural areas which produced crops such as onions, potatoes, vegetables and fruits. The Kodikamamam station along with the terminal station at KKS could be developed for this purpose with storage, processing and packaging facilities adjacent to the station. Elephant Pass (212 km) Elephant Pass was earlier a sub-station. This may be elevated to an industrial station which can handle salt, fish and other small scale industrial products. It may also be developed as a passenger terminal to serve areas such as Vettilakerni and Nagar Kovil on the eastern isthmus of the peninsula. Paranthan (208 km) This was earlier a freight station which served the once vibrant Paranthan Chemicals Corporation. This is ideally the location for another industrial zone in the north. Land adjacent to the tracks in addition to the freight station could be developed for processing and packaging and setting up of industries especially fish based products. The westward connection to Pooneryn as well as the connection to Mullaitivu makes this a logical processing point for fish, since both those areas including the Jaffna lagoon are rich fishing grounds. The passenger terminal may be at Killinochchi located 3 km to the south.

Station Features of the Proposed Development

(km from Colombo) Killinochchi (205 km) This is the 2 nd largest town in northern area, it is a little located 40 km south of Jaffna and 48 km north of Vavuniya. Kilinochci given its population warrants a major railways station. This will also be a natural nodal point as can be accessed vis the A35 road passing Puthukuddiyuruppu town. This distance by road between Mullaitivu and Kilinochci is about 50 kms and a good bus-train connection from Mullaitivu will ensure that the travel time connection between Mullaitivu and Jaffna is not more than 2 ½ hours. This will form a very good regional connection. The road to the west also provides connectivity up to the western coat line and the northern part of Kilinochci District which includes the once flourishing Nallur town. First century AD stone pillars, and ruins of the Buddhist "Lumbini" vihara are also found here which will promote tourist travel to the region. Killinochchi is 100 km (62 mi) south of the once flourishing Nallur city off the coast of the Jaffna Lagoon . Mankulam (185 km) Mankulam is located mid point between Vavuniya and Killinochchi. This is an important town centre as well as a transit point. Mankulam provides the southern approach to Mullaitivu through A34 via Oddusudan which is around 48 km. It also provides the western connection to small townships in the Vani such as Mallavi and Vellankulum by the coast. This will vastly increase the area that can be served by rail for both passenger and goods transport. Good bus/rail connections are required for this purpose as would be a logistics hub. This station should be developed as a transit station with bus terminal adjacent to the station and also out bound and in bound warehousing including refrigerated warehouses for fish, fruits and vegetables which can be transported by rail.

Station Features of the Proposed Development

(km from Colombo) Other Stations Each of the other stations and the land adjoining the station is to be developed as follows: (252 km) i. Modern Railway Station Chunnakam (251 km) ii. Modern Bus Terminal with direct access from station Kondavil (248 km) iii. Logistics Centre and Warehousing to be rented out which can be used by both railway and road transport vehicles. Navatkuli (241 km)

Pallai (221 km)

Murikandy (196 km)

Puliyankulum (172 km)

Omanthai (165 km)