Cabinet Approves Rs. 1 Bn Funding Package for Lanka Metro Transit

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a total funding allocation of Rs. 1,067.5 million for Lanka Metro Transit (Private) Limited, comprising Rs. 800 million in equity capital for infrastructure development and an additional Rs. 267.5 million for operational requirements in 2027.

Submitted by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development, the proposal supports the modernization of Sri Lanka’s public transport following successful pilot operations in Colombo using 10 low-floor buses under the Clean Sri Lanka Programme. With the service proving commercially viable and popular with the public, the Sri Lanka Transport Board subsidiary plans to deploy 112 additional low-floor buses this September.

The allocated equity capital will fund crucial facility upgrades, including a central workshop in Ekala, modern bus depots in Thalangama, Kadawatha, Ratmalana, and Homagama, as well as improvements to internal roads and bus stands.