Ceylon Transport : • Stricter Control ?
Page 10
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
UNCONTROLLED development of road transport can cause dire economic consequences, states Mr. D. R. Rutnam, who was asked by the Ceylon Government to prepare a report on transport in Ceylon.
He declares that there should be liberal provision for healthy rivalry between different forms of transport. Road-rail co-ordination in Ceylon had, in the past, not been entirely satisfactory, although Mr. S. W. Nelson, who came out from England to reorganize bus• services in the island, made "a great improvement in the operation and control of road passenger services, with the result that railway passenger traffic increased by about 150 per cent. between 1925 and 1947. On the other hapd, railborne goods traffic had dropped during that period.
Mr. Rutnam attributes the present uNsatisfactory position of the Ceylon Railway to ineffectiveness of railroad co-ordination, inadequate charges, and a complacent attitude on the part of the railway staff.
He also points out that passenger and goods road services introduced in conjunction with the Ceylon Railway have, so far, been used mainly as feeders at the ends of existing railway lines, whereas they should contentrate far more on feeding the railway right along its length. Mr. Rutnam recommends the co-ordination of road and rail on British lines.