The Department of Railways says the modernisation of the signal system on the Maho–Anuradhapura section of the northern line will be completed by October 2026, NewsFirst reported on Wednesday.
The project is being carried out with financial assistance from the Government of India, part of a broader package of Indian-funded rail upgrades aimed at restoring journey times on the long-neglected northern corridor. Once the new signalling is commissioned, trains will be able to operate at speeds of up to 100 km/h on the recently renovated Maho–Anuradhapura track.
The signal modernisation closes one of the bottlenecks left over from the physical track renewal of the Maho–Anuradhapura section. Without modern signalling, services have continued to run at restricted speeds despite the track being upgraded — a constraint reflected in the Department’s recent locomotive speed-limit notices.
The Maho–Anuradhapura segment connects Maho Junction on the main northern line with the Anuradhapura terminus, and is a critical leg for both Colombo–Jaffna long-haul services and freight movement to the north. Faster journey times on the segment are expected to feed through to overall Colombo Fort–Jaffna timings once the upgrade is complete.
The Department of Railways did not disclose the contract value or the equipment supplier in Wednesday’s announcement. Indian Railways and its signalling and telecommunications arm RITES Ltd have been the lead Indian counterparts on previous Sri Lanka rail upgrades.
The project sits alongside Sri Lanka Railways’ planned Kandy line extension, forming part of the post-Cyclone Ditwah rail rehabilitation programme.
