The Government is to commence an intercity train service between Colombo Fort and Anuradhapura with a maximum travel time of three hours.
Sri Lanka Railways Department said a rehearsal run will be held tonight to ensure the shortened travel time.If successful the Railway Department hopes to commence this special train service from next month.
Currently 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 [...]
At long last, the proposed third platform at the Peradeniya station has become a reality. The newly constructed platform was commissioned for use on 1st December. The opening of this long proposed third platform will cut train travel by as much as 20 minutes and enable all upcountry trains to stop at Peradeniya.
Previously all upcountry [...]
This article about the Jaffna Railway was first published by the Lines Magazine in 2004.
On August the 1st 1905 a train trundled its way into the newly built Jaffna railway station to be greeted by an expectant crowd. It was the first train travelling the through route from Colombo to Jaffna on tracks which had [...]
I love trains. I find them infinitely preferable to buses, especially in the Third World. Unfortunately, in many countries, notably much of India, train travel, while more comfortable than buses, is something to be endured rather than enjoyed. When I came to Sri Lanka, with its short distances and cheap first-class travel, I was agreeably [...]
BOOK LAUNCH: A journey by train in Udarata Menike to the hill country is fascinating and one of the best experiences a traveller could have in the world said Financial Consultant Das Meriyagolla.
Speaking at the launch of the ‘A comprehensive Guide to information of Sri Lanka’ book written by former Director General of Sri Lanka [...]
1953 was the year, when a new chapter in railway history was made. The Ceylon Government Railway ordered the first ever diesel locomotives to its mainline passenger service. The unforgettable Brush Bagnalls were purchased. Then in 1954 under Colombo Plan, the Canadian Government gifted five locomotives.
The locomotives were called as G12, in Canada and in [...]
Train travel is getting easier these days with the inclusion of new units. But, the staff needs training very badly. Recently, I was waiting for the 1.20 p.m. Maradana train at Moratuwa Station. At 2.10 p.m. they announced that this train will come a little late. At 3.05 p.m. the 2.18 train came and the [...]
