Sri Lanka plans to expand Metro bus service to Jaffna by mid-2027

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The Sri Lankan government has begun preliminary work to expand its Metro urban bus service to Jaffna District, with plans to launch operations by mid-2027.

A special route inspection and trial run were conducted yesterday (November 10) to identify suitable roads for Metro buses in Jaffna city, study technical feasibility and assess the required infrastructure.

An initial discussion on introducing the service in Jaffna had previously been held at the Road Development Authority’s Northern Province Project Director’s Office on Beach Road, Jaffna.

The government plans to speed up the preliminary work to meet its target of launching the Metro bus service in Jaffna by mid-2027.

Yesterday’s inspection focused on identifying roads suitable for low-floor Metro buses, assessing technical requirements, constructing new bus stops around the city and providing parking facilities for private vehicles near those stops.

Speaking during the visit, Deputy Minister of Transport Dr. Prasanna Gunasena said the Metro bus service, which began as a pilot project with 10 buses, has now expanded to a fleet of 122 buses.

He said the service currently operates across all three districts of the Western Province: Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara.

Based on the experience gained from operating the service in Colombo, Jaffna and Kandy districts have been selected for the next phase of the project.

The Deputy Minister further stated that steps have been taken to implement the project through Lanka Metro Transit (Pvt) Ltd., with full government funding, under the national plan extending until 2029.