Sri Lanka to expand Metro Bus Service to Jaffna, Kandy, and Galle

Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake has announced plans to expand the Metro Bus Service beyond the Western Province to Jaffna, Kandy, and Galle.

To support this expansion, the number of Metro buses is planned to increase to 122 within this month. A cabinet paper has been submitted to procure 50 additional buses, with the goal of reaching a total fleet of 172 by the end of this year or early next year. The Minister also noted that opportunities will be provided to the private sector to operate services through contracts with the Metro company.

Infrastructure development is being carried out through the collaboration of the Ministry, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat, the Sri Lanka Transport Board, and Lanka Metro Transit. Following the recent opening of the Thalangama depot in Pattarmulle, operations have now commenced at the Kadawatte depot. Plans are also underway to establish four new depots in Thalangama, Kadawatte, Ekala, and Ratmalana to strengthen management and maintenance.