Ex-Rail GM Proposes Train to Sri Lanka for Close Connectivity
PM Modi in Sri Lanka, Palk Strait (Image credit X.com)
Modi’s Sri Lanka Visit: Ex-Official Floats Palk Strait Rail Bridge Proposal
By TRH News Desk
New Delhi, April 7: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, ex-rail official proposed rail connectivity with the island nation. A 23-km rail bridge over Palk Strait can connect India with Sri Lanka, said the ex-official.
“Imagine boarding a train in Chennai and reaching Colombo without a flight or ship! A 23-km railway bridge across the Palk Strait, connecting Dhanushkodi (India) with Talaimannar (Sri Lanka), could redefine connectivity, economy, and diplomacy between the two nations,” said Lali Chandra Trivedi, former General Manager of the Railways in a post on LinkedIn.
Explaining the rationale, Trivedi stated that the rail connectivity will give a boost to trade and commerce between the two nations. It will also lower logistics costs and help faster freight movement, said Trivedi.
The ex-official also stated that the rail connectivity will also “enhance India-Sri Lanka trade under ISFTA”. Trivedi argued that the rail connectivity can also spur a “tourism revolution”, with “easier access to heritage sites like Rameswaram, Anuradhapura, and Sigiriya, attracting global travellers”.
Modi oversaw unveiling of a couple of railway projects in Sri Lanka which will connect far flung areas of the island nation to boost connectivity. Modi also inaugurated India’s first vertical lift bridge on sea, the Pamban Bridge, at Rameshwaram.
The rail connectivity also spur employment generation, said Trivedi. “Jobs in construction, railway operations, hospitality, and local businesses” can be additional gains from the rail connectivity, he added.
Trivedi also argued that the cultural and social ties can also benefit with the restoration of “the pre-1964 Indo-Ceylon rail link, reconnecting Tamil communities and easing travel for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees”.
On strategic connectivity, Trivedi argued that the rail link will also strengthen India’s ‘Neighborhood First policy’ and enhances regional integration. It can also be an “eco-friendly transport being sustainable alternative to air and sea routes, reducing carbon footprint”.
Trivedi also stressed that the rail connectivity will help in faster response in times of disaster and emergency, with “quick relief during natural calamities and improved cross-border healthcare access”.
During Modi’s visit, India and Sri Lanka inked key pacts such as electricity grid connectivity, strategic oil reserves, and tapping renewable power potential. Both the nations also resolved to further deepen people to people connect.
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