Sri Lanka’s long-neglected railway system can be a more useful complement to roads and could take up much of the bulk freight transport, reducing traffic jams significantly. In a recent BIG Issue interview the Colombo Mayor stated that every effort will be taken to reduce the traffic problem in curtailing the inflow and outflow of [...]
A powerful explosion ripped through a railway track just outside the Sri Lankan capital on Wednesday causing disruption to commuter services, police said.
Police said there were no casualties following the blast at Mount Lavinia, but the Colombo-bound track was damaged and train services were suspended pending investigation.
“Fortunately there was no train passing at the time,” [...]
Named with grim irony Samudradevi, or Queen of the Sea, the train that left Colombo Fort station shortly after 6am on Sunday for its regular run to the southern city of Galle was full even by Sri Lankan standards.
As many as 1,700 passengers crammed its carriages or hung from the sides. It was a holiday [...]
Although it was estimated that one billion rupees would be needed to repair the damage, caused to the Southern rail track, by the tsunami of four years ago, a group of railway employees volunteered their service and completed the restoration of the track, which experts said would take one year, in 57 days at a [...]
If you have never taken a train ride from Colombo to Bandarawela or vice versa you’ve missed a lot. The slow, slumbering journey upwards, as you watch the sun appear through the misty mountains and soft rain is a memorable scene.
The journey starts 6 in the morning and after nearly one hour the best part [...]
At Demodara the surveyors discovered that the elevation of the hills was too great for the track to negotiate. With the maximum inclination allowed in railways at that time being one foot per 44 feet, an innovative track design had to be devised. Situated 172 miles from Colombo, Demodara has joined railway legend for its [...]
As we boarded the packed train in Colombo, it was late afternoon, and it was obvious that a seat was going to be a privilege. However, we found a reserved coach for service personnel and two vacant seats of wooden slats, and no windows. The seats faced forward, a fact that presented us with severe [...]
A first in Sri Lanka but long overdue project amounting to Rs. 3 billion of railway electrification was proposed by the Institute of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) yesterday.
This was revealed at the launch of “Air, Maritime and Rail Transportation in Sri Lanka”, by IESL which is the fifth publication launched by the Institution following the [...]
