Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma yesterday (20) told Parliament that 75 percent of the engines used by the Sri Lanka Railways are outdated.

Of the 10 engines imported from France in 1999, only four were in operation, and six were in garages due to a lack of spare parts and as the prices of those parts in the international market had multiplied.

Of the 51 railway engines being used by the Railway Department, 13 were imported in 1954, he said.

International tenders had been called for the purchase of spare parts so that engines idling in garages could be repaired, he said.

Minister Alahapperuma was answering a question raised by UNP Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake.

The department has taken action to increase the goods transportation service, he said. Of the total income generated by the department, only four percent comes from goods transportation.

Asked about the number of trains and power sets needed, Minister Alahapperuma said that 92 engines and 44 power sets were necessary for a better service on par with the existing railway time tables.

The Railway Department was started in 1902, he said. Asked of the number of kilometers of railway tracks that were in Sri Lanka as at 1948, 1992 and as of today, the Minister said that there had been 1,685 km of rail road in 1948. It was 1,386 km in 1992 and 1430 km today.

Asked how many trains were bought since 1948, Minister Alahapperuma said that only power sets were purchased since 1948 and 74 power sets were purchased.

From 1997 up to today 30 new power sets were bought at a cost of US $ 73,960,000. They were imported from China, he said.