In line with the Government of Sri Lanka’s national policy to make public transport more efficient and reliable, the need has been identified to establish Transit Cities and multimodal transport hubs equipped with the necessary facilities to improve interconnectivity between different modes of transport.
These hubs are expected to enable the initiation of efficient public transport services from designated Transit Cities to major urban centers, ensuring smoother intermodal connections among buses, trains, and taxi services.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted in-principle approval to the proposal submitted by the Acting Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to develop the following multimodal transport hubs on a priority basis. The projects will proceed subject to formal feasibility studies and will integrate bus stands and railway stations identified as having the highest passenger circulation across the island.
Priority Multimodal Transport Hubs:
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Kandy Multimodal Transport Hub – Construction currently underway with World Bank financing.
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Anuradhapura (South) Multimodal Transport Centre – Nearing completion under the Anuradhapura Integrated Urban Development Project.
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Anuradhapura (North) Multimodal Transport Centre – Feasibility studies and preliminary works completed.
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Fort Railway Station-Centred Multimodal Transport Centre – Proposed under the ComTrans Master Plan for urban transport in Colombo and its suburbs.
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Moratuwa Multimodal Transport Centre – Proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan.
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Ragama Multimodal Transport Centre – Identified through a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
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Avissawella, Galle, Katunayake, and Kurunegala Multimodal Transport Centres – Identified in the Urban Development Authority’s (UDA) urban plans.
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Gampaha Multimodal Transport Centre – Identified under the UDA urban plan and the Colombo Suburban Railway Electrification Project.
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Katunayake Multimodal Transport Centre – Identified under the Airport Development Plan.
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Kalutara Multimodal Transport Centre – Proposed by the District Coordination Committee.
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Kankesanthurai Multimodal Transport Centre – Identified under the UDA urban plan.
These developments aim to strengthen Sri Lanka’s transport infrastructure, reduce travel time, and provide passengers with seamless connectivity between multiple transport services.
