Train Travel In Sri Lanka

badulla train light tunnel

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

We recently loaded our bicycles on a train to Anuradhapura. On the way up the roof fell in on some people in the back, but besides that uneventful. On the way back, however, I noticed that we had a printed m-ticket, this seemed to be something you could order over the mobile (Mobitel only methinks). The train itself was also new. The drivers were asleep when it pulled in, but still.

I love travelling by train, in theory. Sri Lankan trains, however, are only just emerging out of post-colonial stasis. There is no train to Jaffna, the line stops just a bit past Vavuniya. The train ride through the hills to Badulla is beautiful but, quite frankly, insanely slow. Within Colombo, you can’t take trains from point to point. Etc.

Furthermore, unlike India, you can’t really book trains online, it is nearly impossible to get information from the train station over the phone, etc. Still has a long ways to go.

On the plus side, however, I have noticed new trains, one of which seems to be an old bus with the bottom chopped off and put on rails. Exporail has launched a luxury train service and the new Ruhunukumari is apparently the longest train in Sri Lanka.

There are still, however, major structural issues with Sri Lanka Rail itself. The interesting blog Maho Train has solicited ideas on one particular issue:

Sri Lanka Railway (SLR) supposed to have one of the biggest potions of state owned lands. Most of the property in Colombo area is neglected and has become the junk yard of old rusting carriages and engines.

How can we use these land and other resources of SLR better? (Land Problem)

They got these ideas in response, among others

Convert some railway yards / carriages into theme parks or theme hotels
Convert some carriages into mini motels or “love stations” .The government is proposing turning some parks into “love parks” for couples… So this is up the same route
Collect abandoned carriages into less commercially viable lands and convert them into housing schemes.
Use these withering resources and ‘Expand the Railway System’; the very purpose for which the British reserved this land.

Anyways, Sri Lanka Rail is still a bit whack, but unlike years ago, it’s showing signs of improvement. For one thing, I think it was quite cool that we could ship bicycles for about Rs. 500 each (one way). You just show up in the morning, go to the cargo section round back at Fort, and write your name on a piece of cardboard and fill out a form. You’re supposed to have a bike license, otherwise you get lectured like schoolchildren by the officers there for like 15 minutes, but they’ve always let us go.

For another, the m-ticketing is quite cool, tho I don’t see why we can’t use it on other service providers. The website is still horrendous, but they should really improve it, or let third parties do e-ticketing. At least there are signs of life though. We’ve ridden colonial era trains through colonial era tracks using colonial era administration for years. It’s nice to see Sri Lanka Rail finally picking up steam.

Further reading: Maho Train of course, and this Sinhala site LocoLanka has being doing really great stuff, with fascinating photographs of different carriages.

26 Comments

  1. Just to round out the story: “The total losses from the railway alone since 1999 have been LKR 28,052 million. That means that, on average, the railway lost LKR 234 million every month over the past ten years; or, to make it even more graphic, LKR 7.79 million every single day for the last ten years. ” This was from http://lbo.lk/fullstory.php?nid=1238565096, published in 2009.

  3. That’s insane. For that amount you could be buying people motorbikes. One thing I’ve noticed along the coastal stretch is that trains often run nearly empty or packed to the brim. The system obviously isn’t optimized. Like, couldn’t you run both tracks out at peak time, switch tracks to let incoming trains thru, etc. I’m sure that’s only a minor part of the problem

  4. CGR is a very inefficient & corrupt organization. but at the same time rail transport in this country is fairly subsidized and used by millions.

  6. I have only traveled from Colombo to Kandy by train (Observation carriage?) and I thought it was nice. But the trains were filled to the brim and some people were hanging on to the door handles (and outside the train), all the way.

  7. Didn’t know you could lug your bicycle, thanks for the tip.

  10. The Colombo Badulla train is lovely… if you get off in Kandy. Doing the whole route is actually way too long and too slow, and not very scenic after you’re down the hill.

  11. Stating the facts is not whinging.

    Proposing that land be sold without reforming the money-guzzling monster is stupid. There are appropriate aphorisms in all languages for Maho Train proposals: gangata in kepima in Sinhala; throwing good money after bad in English.

    And guess who’ll take the lion’s share of the proceeds of land sales?

  12. CGR has land around colombo & ratmalana that could very well amount to billions of dollars. The tragedy is that much of this land is not utilized for anything. The first thing the government should do is figure out how much of the CGR land is necessary for it’s functionality and then lease out the rest for other businesses that will have much better use for them.

    Secondly CGR should be made a PLC and 10-25% of it should be sold off to investors as IPO and get the thing listed in the CSE. This automatically will solve alot of the corruption & inefficiencies that plague the CGR.

    Thirdly, government should directly subsidize ticket sales.

  13. ‘Stating the facts is not whinging.’ – of course not, but keep on lamenting on the facts and doing nothing is whinging. It has become the lifestyle of many sri lankans.

    At MahoTrain we believe that nobody is better than everybody. We facilitate to bring out ideas from a community who do not have frequent internet facilities. (But of course most of them have mobiles) Also we do not expect convergent thinking at this stage but try to promote divergent thinking as much as possible.

    So the crowd will come up with absolute STUPID ideas. Fine. We do not filter any ..but we hope that we may get at least one bright idea out of the lot.. …with proper channeling and further brainstorming rest of the STUPID ideas can be developed to great ones.

    The stupidest idea may have some hidden ‘sparks’. Who knows?

    The innovation process start with idea, then counteractive idea and finally.., the third alternative.. Thanks Professor for coming up with counteractive suggestions. :)

  15. judging by those pictures they;re at least having fun :)

  16. I think Maho Train just collects ideas, it doesn’t necessarily endorse them

  17. Good grief! Could it have been you he was thanking? The short stint at a university?
    I’ve seen the actual Maho train that leaves the Fort station around 5.30 pm I think, full of a lot very territorial people. I thought the Maho train blog was a nice idea.

  21. Agree. The best parts come after Kandy..

    Navalapitiya and Hatton
    Some of the lonely stations in rozella, Great western
    Thalawakele stretch with famous waterfalls
    Nanuoya to Ohiya over the plain
    11 tunnels between Ohiya – Idalgashinna
    Haputale gap and views from Idalgashinna and Haputale station
    Cool climate in diyathalawa and bandarawela
    Ella gap
    Demodara bridge and the loop
    …..

  22. Check out the Old Wesleyites Sports Club in Borella. It’s a prime example of what can be achieved with the re-furbishing of an old railway carriage!

  23. I must do that trip again. Only remember the waterfalls, Ohiya station where it used to be possible to hike to world’s End from, and Demodara loop.
    Also remember Pattipola station, which is the highest point on the railway track.

  24. Aney sorry, Dodo. I was obviously dozing off and thought the man called you professor. Later realised you weren’t old enough.
    Again, I seem to have developed this strange reaction to the string of words TWoTD. Whenever I see it, which is usually on Indi.ca, I go all cross-eyed, my brain stops functioning and my hands move involountarily over the keyboard. I’ll need to see an eye specialist, a neuro surgeon and a shrink.

  25. Sorry, my long explanation is not registering here. In short, I was sleep deprived and also have a strange involountary reaction to the string TWOTD. Will seek help.

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