Sri Lanka’s railway network has been left in a state of near paralysis following Cyclone Ditwah, with only two lines remaining operational after widespread destruction caused by landslides and torrential rainfall.
As rebuilding work continues, General Manager of Railways Ravindra Padmapriya said the disaster had rendered most of the network unusable, leaving only the Coastal Line and the Kelani Valley Line functioning.
The most severe damage was reported in the hill country, particularly along the Kandy, Badulla and Matale lines. At least fifteen locations were identified where the ground beneath the tracks had been completely eroded, leaving sections of rail suspended. “The earth had been undermined under the line and the track is now in a situation of hanging in 15 places,” Padmapriya said.
Sri Lanka Railways has so far identified 286 incidents linked to the cyclone, including 159 caused by landslides. A further 100 incidents involved fallen trees and sections of earth beneath the tracks being washed away. Officials said assessments were still ongoing. “We are still finding new locations with damage,” Padmapriya said. “We have not been able to reach some locations yet.”
Several major rail corridors were taken out of service, cutting off large parts of the island. These include the Colombo to Badulla line, the Northern Line from Polgahawella to Kankesanthurai, the Gal Oya to Trincomalee line, the Gal Oya to Batticaloa line, the Ragama to Puttalam line, the Medawachchiya to Talaimannar line, and the Peradeniya to Matale line. Only the Coastal Line from Colombo to Beliatta and the Kelani Valley Line from Maradana to Avissawella remained intact.
By 5 December, limited services had resumed on the main line from Colombo to Ambepussa and on the Puttalam Line up to Nattandiya. At that stage, just 322 kilometres of Sri Lanka’s 1,436 kilometre railway network were operational. Ten trains and four twin sets used for office transport remained stranded at various stations and required transfer back to Colombo.
The Railway Department said it hoped to reopen the Rambukkana to Kurunegala section the following week. The Gal Oya to Trincomalee line has been repaired and was undergoing testing, though the stretch from Rambukkana to Gal Oya via Maha remains out of service. Restoration of that section is expected to take around three weeks, after which services to Batticaloa and Trincomalee would resume.
Padmapriya said that the Indian company which upgraded the Northern Line with Indian assistance had agreed to support repair efforts. “It may take around one and a half month. There are more than 100 kilometres there,” she said. At present, the Colombo to Badulla line is open only as far as Rambukkana.
Railway Additional Director General Bandara Chandrasena announced on Sunday that the pre-crisis timetable would resume on Monday, though season ticket holders travelling from Rambukkana and Kandy would be provided with bus transport instead of train services.
