Sri Lanka’s Transport Minister travels as regular passenger to address commuter issues

Sri Lanka’s Transport Minister, Bimal Rathnayake, traveled as a regular passenger on an office train from Moratuwa to Colombo Fort this morning (January 20).

The Minister boarded the train that departed Moratuwa at 7:13 AM and was seen interacting warmly with the public on board. Scenes of his interactions with passengers are currently circulating on social media.

The visuals also show some passengers observing Minister Rathnayake with amazement as he stood in the crowded train.

It has been reported that the train he traveled on arrived approximately 13 minutes late.

Additionally, the footage shows him disembarking at certain railway stations for quick inspections before reboarding the train.

During the journey, passengers reportedly expressed concerns to the Minister about frequent train delays, malfunctioning electric fans, the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities when boarding trains, the unclean conditions of train tracks and railway stations, and the continuous use of derailed trains, which pose safety risks.