Sri Lanka, July 15 -- The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for the procurement of five power sets to be deployed for suburban and long-distance passenger services.

The decision has been taken considering the shortage of power sets required to operate trains in suburban areas by the Railway Department.

Due to the shortage, there is constant passenger congestion on the trains that operate daily. Since most of the power sets currently in operation have been in service for over 20 years, they are continually susceptible to sudden interruptions and breakdowns, according to the statement issued by the Department of Government Information.

According to recent estimates, the Railway Department requires a minimum of 96 power sets to ma...