Sri Lanka Railways

- January 04, 2022

Rail transport to Sri Lanka was introduced by the British in 1864. The main reason for the construction of the railway was the problem of transporting tea and coffee from the upcountry to the capital. The first step was the construction of a 54 km road from Colombo to Ambepussa. In the past, the villagers called the train the Iron Devil.

In 1867, 1874, 1885, 1894 and 1924 the main railway line was extended to Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Nanu Oya, Bandarawela and Badulla respectively. In addition the Matale road was completed in 1880, the coastal road in 1895, the northern road in 1905, the road to Mannar port in 1914, the Kelani sand road in 1919 and the Puttalam road in 1926.

The Golden Age edition

The golden age of this service, started by the British, is considered to be the period 1955–1970. BD Rampala is currently the General Manager of the Railway Department. Under his leadership a great deal of work has been done for the betterment of the Railway Department. Services during his tenure include the introduction of express trains, the importation of diesel engines, the use of Sinhala names for trains, and the improvement of railway stations.

Death Reform

There have been various setbacks in the railway service since the late twentieth century. At present, the country's economy is increasingly focused on industrial development, which has reduced the focus on the plantation industry. At the same time, with the development of the highway system, the interest in rail transport has waned. Due to this the Railway Department became a highly loss making institution.

In addition, the destruction of locomotives, the need to stop train journeys, the complete destruction of certain railway tracks due to terrorist activities have also contributed to the collapse of the Railway Department.

New design

In 2010, the government launched a ten-year plan to upgrade the railways. One step in this direction was the introduction of the Diesel Multiple Unit, also known as the Power Set, for locomotive-powered trains.

During the period 2010-2012, the coastal railway line was upgraded to facilitate higher speed trains. In addition, work is underway to rebuild the damaged Northern Railway line and extend the coastal line to Kataragama.