8.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

8.1 Domestic and International Transport, 2007-2010

Passengers (Thousand persons)

(a)
Railway
110,464
(a)
Ominibus services
2,028,238
(a)
S.L.T.B.
918,216
AIR - National carrier
3,018
Foreign airlines
1,822

2010

2009

2008

2007

101,454

104,599
2,043,951
910,396
2,775
1,688

101,807
2,065,612
918,426
2,246
1,990

2,504,787
923,310
2,621
2,646

1,694
81.95
54.81

1,641
66.42
65.21

2,702
80.32
80.44

Freight (Thousand metric tons)

Railway
AIR - National carrier
Foreign airlines

1,707
88.30
66.10

(a) Estimated
Source : Department of Railway, National Transport Commission, Department of Civil Aviation

8.2 Registered Motor Vehicles, 2006-2010

2006

(Number)

2007

2008

2,827,902
338,608

3,125,794
361,211

3,390,993
381,448

3,595,068
387,210

3,954,311
410,282

318,659

361,727

406,531

443,895

529,543

16,546
60,687
1,422,140

16,546
63,324
1,604,648

16,546
64,504
1,760,600

16,546
65,243
1,896,021

16,546
67,734
2,100,832

242,140

260,412

274,288

282,351

294,128

2,036

2,172

2,334

2,496

2,564

Dual Purpose Vehicles

188,187

193,380

196,236

197,516

209,228

(b)

238,899

262,374

288,506

303,790

323,454

1.70

1.80

1.81

1.89

1.99

Total
Passenger cars
Three Wheelers
Buses
SLTB
Private
Motor Cycles
Lorries(a)
Ambulances and Hearses

Tractors & Engines

2009

2010

Passenger Cars
Per 100 Population (%)

(a) Include lorry proper, lorry tractors (prime movers), lorry trailers, fork lift and lorry others.
(b) Include land vechicle tractors (4 and 2 wheelers) and land vechicle trailers
Source: Department of Motor Traffic

8.3 Postal Services, 2006-2010

1. Postal Service
Post Offices
Sub-post Offices
Agency Post Offices
Rural Agency Post Offices
Estate Agency Post Offices
2. Mail Traffic
Letters and Parcels
Inland
Letters and Parcels
Foriegn (inward
& outward)

Unit

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

No.
No.
No.
No.
No.

636
3,407
463
156
65

641
3,412
463
156
65

643
3,410
463
156
65

643
3,411
463
156
65

648
3,410
463
156
65

in thousands

439,000

(a)

383,632

(a)

366,625

(a)

389,740

331,519

in thousands

58,000

(a)

61,271

(a)

54,786

(a)

59,726

37,280

(a) Estimated
Source: Department of Posts

8.4 Telecommunication Services, 2007-2010

2007

2008

931,737

933,536

2009

2010*

1. Fixed access Services (No.)

Wireline Telephone Lines in Services
Wireless local loop Telephones (CDMA)
2. Cellular phones (No. of subscribers)

872,120

(a)

896,710

1,810,322

2,512,875

2,563,838

2,674,086

7,983,489

11,082,508

14,264,442

17,246,567

53.6

71.9

86.6

100.79

8,526

7,417

7,378

7,054

202,348

234,000

240,000

3. Telephone Density
(Telephones per 100 persons, including cellular phones)
4. Other Services
Public pay phones (No. of Booths)
Internet and E-mail (No. of Subscribers)

* Provisional
(a) Wireline declined in 2009 due to shift of some subscribers to cellular phones
(b) Including mobile broadband connections

Source : Central Bank of Sri Lanka

430,000

(b)