Master plan for Colombo metro transport launched

By Gamini Warushamana

The master plan of the Colombo urban transport system was launched last week by the Ministry of Transport with extensive development proposed in transport infrastructure and services to match the rapid economic development in the country.

The plan includes short, medium and long-term solutions for urban transport issues in the Colombo metropolitan and suburban areas and has identified suitable transport modes with an implementation time span up to 2035.

At the launch of the master plan, Prof. Amal Kumarage of the University of Moratuwa said that the role of the Government in Urban Transportation (UT) has to change.

Today the Government plays the role of UT provider, regulator and reformer but the biggest role is being UT provider.

This has to change and the Government should be reformer first and then regulator.

There are several policy options in UT. 1. Promoting private or public transport, 2. Using existing or new technology or both, 3. Integrated or independent UT operations and 4. Government or private investment and management, he said.Prof. Kumarage said that lack of political will as a result of a large vote base in rural areas, institutional resistance to change the status quo and preference for ad-hoc interventions against planned cost effective reform are the challenges in the implementation of the master plan.

Committed visionaries among politicians, institutions, administrators and professionals are needed to implement the master plan.

He said urbanisation has increased with the transformation of the Sri Lankan economy. Conversion from an agricultural to a commercial economy, migration of workers to urban areas and increase in the urban population has made urban areas a critical economic hub.

As a result demand for quality urban life is increasing. This has created demand for UT. Today close to two million passengers and around 600,000 vehicles cross the Colombo city boundary per day. Mobility has increased rapidly over time.

Bus and private vehicles as modes of transport have increased significantly, to cater to this demand while railway services are stagnant. According to projections, if public transport services fail to improve, the use of private vehicles are bound to increase in the future.

If UT supply cannot meet the increasing demand, it would create huge economic costs. High transport cost will reduce corporate profit while increase in household expenditure will lead to a high cost of living, he said.

The UT master plan is important, because the problem is complex and the solutions are more complex. More than a ‘quick fix’ to problems, we need to build a transport system to improve the potential of Colombo for the future, Prof. Kumarage said.

We also need cost-effective solutions and the Government has to intervene and develop a practical plan. If not people with high incomes will find private solutions, he said.

According to studies, private transport modes account for 42 percent of Colombo UT today and is growing at an annual rate of 4.2 percent.

The master plan proposes a range of options for UT issues in infrastructure development and modes of transport including modernisation of railway, bus rapid transit systems, new expressways, monorail systems, road widening for public transport and setting up of multi-modal transport hubs.

The total investment estimated for the implementation of the master plan for 20 years from 2015 to 2035 is Rs 1.254 trillion and the expected economic benefits at 12 percent discount rate at 2013 prices is Rs. 349 billion assuming all projects are implemented according to short, medium and long-term plans. The net present value of the investment is Rs. 625 million. The master plan is prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Japan International Cooperation Agency.