Sri Lanka Ports Authority chairman Priyath Wickrama said it has acquired land for the 'cargo village' at Peliyagoda, a suburb just north of the port.
"In future we're going to have a container reception and delivery facility there after which we will not allow boxes inside the port," Wickrama told a seminar organised by the Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on opportunities in port development.
"We will receive all export boxes to this yard and after that we'll handle them via a rail link to the port terminals," Wickrama said.
"We have acquired the land and the railway department is now doing the trace work.
The soil condition is not that good and needs improvement."
After completion of the rail link the SLPA is also going to start warehouses at the facility and shift many activities now being done inside the port to provide more space and reduce congestion.
"Most of the activity now done inside the port like warehousing, cargo consolidation and vehicle parking wil