The facility to obtain railway season tickets online, currently available only to public sector employees, will be extended to private sector employees from September as a pilot phase, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said.

The Minister made the announcement while speaking at a special media briefing held today (21).

Accordingly, he said steps are being taken to ensure that the online railway season ticket facility is made available to private sector employees as well without any issues by October.

According to the Minister, the facility to obtain railway season tickets online for state sector employees was introduced last month.

Meanwhile, the Minister also said that several new rules and regulations are being introduced to further enhance the safety of motorists across the country.

Accordingly from September 19, it will be mandatory for all drivers and passengers travelling in vehicles on expressways to wear seat belts, with the aim of reducing injuries and fatalities resulting from road accidents.

He added that a special 10-day training programme will be introduced for drivers engaged in public passenger transport services, while regular mobile drug testing will also be carried out.

Measures will also be taken to ensure that only standard-compliant and safe vehicles are deployed on the roads, he added.

Minister Rathnayake further said several measures are being introduced to protect motorcyclists, who account for the highest number of fatalities in road accidents.

These include promoting the use of SLS-certified safety helmets and plans to introduce dedicated lanes for motorcyclists in the future.