The coastal train service was completely disrupted when a train travelling from Matara to Kandy was derailed near the Boossa railway station at about 3.00pm yesterday.
When the train was shunted to another track to allow another train to pass it had been derailed and come to rest on the sleepers.
Trains coming from Colombo could not travel beyond Hikkaduwa and those coming from Galle stopped at Ginthota. There was no damage to the engine.
By Gamini Mahadura
Source: Daily Mirror
The Kandy Colombo Road fly-over at the Kelaniya Railway Crossing.
Source: Sunday Observer Pic: Sudam Gunasinghe
The Anuradhapura Police on Wednesday arrested a member of a gang that befriends train commuters and steals their valuables after drugging them.
He was arrested at the Anuradhapura Railway station when Police searched the Uttaradevi train plying from Medwachiya to Anuradhapura.
Police said the arrested man, from Galenbindunuwewa, had earlier served as a home guard.
Just prior to his arrest he had given drugged wafer biscuits to two railway commuters and robbed them of a mobile phone and cash amounting to Rs 3,400. The two unconscious commuters were removed from the train and admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital, Police said.
Sri Lankan Railways (SLR) announced yesterday that over 20 prospective suppliers have collected tender applications from the Ministry of Transport in response to a recent worldwide tender issued by the Ministry to supply 15 locomotives at a cost of over Rs.4.5billion.
“We have received a big response for the tender and more than 20 prospective suppliers have collected tender applications from the Ministry. The expected cost will be between Rs.2.5 billion and Rs.4.5 billion” Secretary to the Ministry of Transport Nihal Somaweera told the Daily Mirror FT yesterday.
According to the Ministry, SLR has not purchased locomotive engines for the last 20 years except for eight French-built engines which were forced to be taken out of service due to technical failures.
Austrian Government has agreed to grant further, Euro 2.1 million (Rs. 336 million) for the construction of new railway bridge across Matara-Nilwala Ganga and bridges of Be Unawhtuna and Midigama under the credit agreement signed in year 2003.
Accordingly the Nilwala Railway Bridge is scheduled to be completed by October this year and will be the first step towards construction of the new railway line beyond Matara.
In the year 2003, the government of Sri Lanka entered into a credit agreement with the Bank Austria Cr for provision of in a Fund of Euro 15.2 million for the construction of railway bridges with the objective of improving railway lines in Sri Lanka. As per the agreement, Kelani New Railway Bridge Railway Bridges in Kalutara North, South, Ja Ela, Seeduwa, Pinwatta, Rambukkana and Polwathumodara have already been constructed and handed aver to the Railway Department among the Railway bridges constructed, Kelaniya New Railway bridge replaced a bridge constructed about 100 years ago during British Era.
Douglas Devananda, Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare, at the meeting of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, said that arrangements need to be provided with a compartment having facilities for persons with disabilities in every passenger train, to rid them of the difficulties experienced by them. He instructed the members of the Council to discuss matters with relevant officers of the Railway Department to make this a reality.
The Minister also appointed a committee comprising Mr. M. A. Alam, Director of National Council for the Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Cyril Siriwardene, a Member Councillor and Mr. Perimpanayagam, an Observer of the Council to have discussions with the Registrar of Persons to take necessary action for issuing an internationally recognised identity card for persons with disabilities.
Source: The Island
It was reported in the newspapers that the renovation work of the Kandy Railway Station was being carried out to be completed in time for the SAARC Summit to be held in Kandy.
The bottleneck of the up country service is the Peradeniya junction station, which is situated far from the main running line which runs through the loop from Kadugannawa to Gampola.
The branch trains, from Kandy to Peradeniya junction, carrying passengers and goods from the Matale line, to Colombo and other stations are brought to the Peradeniya station and transferred to main trains, causing considerable delay.
There is a level crossing at this station, which too causes delay to trains and road traffic when shunting is done. There was a blueprint a long time ago, to shift the present Peradeniya Station to the site where the Panideniya school stands. Once the small hillock is leveled, the Peradeniya junction station could be shifted to this place, which would eliminate all these delays.
The Sri Lanka Government Railways is to go through resurgence with the arrival of 15 power sets and 15 locomotive engines from China shortly and face lifting of railway stations island wide, Transport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma said yesterday.
“We are in the process of importing locomotive engines, power sets, coaches and spare parts needed for engine and rail track repairs after almost 15 years. The severe scarcity of engines and coaches has contributed to the sharp deterioration of the service. The non availability of spare parts was the main cause for delays and cancellations in the railway service and also to derailments,” he noted.
The railway commuters will experience a marked improvement of the service in the next few months with the supply of these vital components, Minister Alahapperuma said.
