Sri Lanka Transport Sectors Contributes 10 pct of GDP. Losses Total 3 pct of GDP

28th March 2013, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Sri Lanka's transport sectors is estimated to contribute to 10 percent of the gross domestic product, but its shortcoming including accidents, traffic jams and delays cost 200 billion rupees, an expert has said.
"However about 30 percent is lost due to accidents, congestion, lost time in public transport and damaged goods amounts to 200 billion rupees a year."

Kumarage, a top transport sector researcher said the cost of accidents was estimated at 32 billion rupees a year, cost of congestion 40 billion rupees, the cost of lost time in public transport was estimated a 30 billion rupees.

Cost of losses in supply chains was estimated at 100 billion rupees.

Last year public sector investments in transport sector was 190 billion rupees (about 3-pct of GDP) while the private sector has spent about 100 billion rupees (about 1.5 percent of GDP).

These included 15 billion rupees in trucks, 2.0 billion rupees in buses, about 18 billion rupees in taxis and three wheelers and 5.0 billion rupees.

Kumarage said people are expected to reduce standard bus travel in the future and quality urban transport using bus rapid transit (BRT), rail based mass transit (MRT/LRT) was essential to prevent gridlock in Colombo.

"The value contributed by transport to GDP is a very healthy 10 percent," Amal Kumarage, a professor at Sri Lanka's Moratuwa University told senior executives at the LBR-LBO CEO's forum in Colombo.

 Related Info :

• A Bus Rapid Transit Solution Could be Faster and Cheaper for Colombo, Capital of Sri Lanka - Amal Kumarage, a professor from Moratuwa University