The Matara-Kataragama Railway Line is a 114.5km-long Sri Lankan railway project. Currently under construction, the project will extend the coastal line from Matara to Kataragama. It is one of the pilot projects being built under the Mahinda Chinthnaya (which means Vision for the Future in Sri Lanka's Sinhala language), a multi-year policy programme launched by the Sri Lanka government with the aim of driving the nation's economic growth rate forward.
The Matara-Kataragama rail line will add to the existing 1,450km of national rail network. Estimated at $366m, the project is owned and will be operated by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Transport. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2015.
The new rail line aims to facilitate efficient and economic transport services in the region by promoting competition between rail and road transport. It will also benefit commuters travelling to remote areas of Matara while increasing the number of pilgrims visiting the sacred places in the Southern Province.
The project is being built in collaboration with China. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to construct the line was signed between the Sri Lankan Government and China in 2006. The Chinese International Trust and Investment Company (CITIC) Group is constructing the entire project.
