Transport

Sri Lanka has a total of 12,290 km of national highways, 1561 km of rail tracks, two international airports and four seaports. In order to boost the local economy and quality of life, the cultivation of an effective, reliable and cost-efficient transport system has been a priority for successive governments, albeit with varying degrees of success. Improvement plans in the pipeline include light rail transit and bus rapid transit systems in Colombo; the new transport system and port within Port City Colombo; the expansion of the Port of Colombo through the East Container Terminal; an overhaul of road and railway infrastructure; and improved airport infrastructure and technology. Sri Lanka is encouraging more public-private partnerships (PPPs) and created a new PPP Unit within the Ministry of Finance in order to facilitate more private sector involvement in infrastructure development. This chapter contains an interview with Bai Jingtao, Managing Director, China Merchants Port Holdings Company.