Sri Lanka Railways - Sri Lankan Train Journeys

Present Sri Lankan Railway network consists of 1508 kilometres with a broad gauge of 5 feet 6 inches.

The railway contains some of the magnificent scenic rail routes in the world. Particularly the Main Line winding through both natural beauties such as waterfalls, natural forest mountains, misty peaks and precipices, as well as man made festoons such as tea estates, pine forests and sensation engineering stuffs including bridges and peak level stations.

Sri Lanka Railway Department is the former Ceylon Government Railway (CGR), the Sri Lankan Government department under the Ministry of Transport.

The Sri Lankan Government Railway operates five main routes which link Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, and many locations including very remote areas. Many of Sri Lanka's railway stations are under reconstruction:

Main Line – Colombo to Badulla - Sri Lanka's Ceylon tea districts form a compact area in the central core of the highlands and foothills to the east of Colombo. Take the railway from the tea auction centre of Colombo through the main districts to Badulla, a journey of around 180 miles.

Southern Line – Colombo to Matara - The southern section of the Colombo to Matara line was severely damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, was reopened on February 21, 2005. Repairs have cost over Rs 400 million so far, but more work is still needed.

Northern Line and Eastern Line – Colombo to Kankesanthurai (The Northern Line) and Colombo to Trincomalee (Eastern Line) and Batticaloa (Eastern Line South). The train services on the Northern line are operated up to Vavuniya, on the Eastern line up to Batticaloa and on the Mannar line up to Medawachchiya. With the on-gong peace process, steps are being taken to reconstruct the Northern & Eastern railway lines.

Puttalam Line – Colombo to Puttalam - The Puttalam Line branches off the Main Line at Ragama, extending north past Negombo, an important regional town and tourist centre. It also links other busy market towns and fishing villages.

Kelani Valley Line – Colombo to Avissawella - The Kelani Valley Line extends from Colombo south and east to Avissawella. This was originally built as a narrow gauge line and was converted to dual gauge between 1991 and 1997.

Although the British established the railway system in 1864, the golden era of Sri Lankan Railway System was during 1955 – 1970 under the management of a Mr. B.D. Rampala, chief mechanical engineer and late General Manager of CGR.

We will be travelling all 5 Sri Lanka Railway routes during our stay.

A number of long distance trains were named by CGR:

Udarata Menike (Upcountry Maiden) - Runs between Colombo and Badulla

Podi Menike (Little Maiden) - Connects Colombo and Badulla via Kandy - Train No.5 - Podi Menike from Colombo-Fort departs 5:55 arrive Badulla 16:20 - Daily - Runs via Kandy - Observation Saloon, 2nd & 3rd Class

Rajarata Rajina (Queen of North Central) - Runs between Vavuniya and Mathara

Yal Devi (Princess/Queen of Jaffna) - Was operated between Colombo and Jaffna

Senkadagala Menike (Maiden of “Senkadagala” – area name) - Runs between Colombo and Mathale via Kandy

Muthu Kumari (Princess of Perl) - Operates between Colombo and Puttalam

Ruhunu Kumari (Princess of “Ruhuna” – southern province) - Between Colombo and Mathara

Samudra Devi (Princess/Queen of Ocean) - Colombo to Galle

Galu Kumari (Princess of Galle) - Colombo to Galle

Mahawa (Unofficial name) - Colombo to Maho junction

We apologise for the repetition of some place or proper names with different spellings, but there is no definitive spelling translation of these words.

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JeGraNet.com statement - 15 October 2008 - Quote from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: "There is a high threat from terrorism in Sri Lanka. Fatal attacks have become more frequent. They have occurred in Colombo and throughout Sri Lanka, including places frequented by expatriate and foreign travellers. Further attacks may occur at any time. There is an increasing risk of British nationals being caught up in an attack". As independent travellers we left Colombo after just 9 days into our planned 6 month stay as a result of a feeling of insecurity, however we are sure that 'package tour' travellers to tourist resorts will probably enjoy a worry free holiday.