Govt. approval granted to receive 22 diesel engines from India

Colombo, December 10 (Daily Mirror) - The Indian Railways have agreed to provide 22 American Locomotive Company (ALCO) diesel engines to Sri Lanka Railways as a grant from the Indian Government.  

Accordingly, India will supply 20 slightly used M10 locomotive engines to the Sri Lanka Railways Department and two additional engines to be used for spare parts required for maintenance.  

An unsolicited proposal to provide locomotive maintenance services for a period of five years has been submitted by RITES, an engineering consultancy and infrastructure development company in India.  

The proposal was approved at the Cabinet meeting held on June 11, with the Cabinet Ministers endorsing the submission made by the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation.  

The project committee has noted that the Sri Lanka Railways Department has the necessary expertise to maintain the engines, making it suitable for the department’s staff to handle the work.  

The agreement for the grant of 22 engines was signed, and the Government of Sri Lanka has formally accepted the grant.