Railway operations severely disrupted after natural disaster; 39 power sets stranded

Colombo, Dec. 4 (Daily Mirror) - The Railways Station Masters' Association (SLSMA) has warned that 39 train power sets could not be brought to Colombo for operation due to the sudden natural disaster, significantly affecting the normal functioning of office trains.

SLSMA Chief Secretary R.M.S. Kasun Chamara Jayasekera said in a letter that the recent disaster caused severe damage to roads, bridges, railway stations, signaling systems, and main buildings of the Railway Department. “Regrettably, the Department of Railways is the state institution most affected by this disaster,” he noted.

In response, the Railway Department has taken steps to operate trains on the following routes:

• Coastal Line (Maradana – Beli Attha)
• Kelani Valley Line (Colombo Fort – Avyawalle)
• Main Line (Colombo Fort – Ambepussa)
• Puttalam Line (Colombo Fort – Kochchikade)

The disruption has left 39 train power sets, which were operating to Rambukkana, Polgahawela, Kurunegala, Kandy, Chilaw, Puttalam, and Ganewatta stations before the disaster, stranded and unavailable for Colombo operations. Among these, 18 office trains that run daily are parked at various stations, limiting the number of power sets available and causing significant inconvenience to passengers and railway staff.

Efforts are underway to restore service. Quick repairs near the Bujjomuwa area on the Main Line will allow the use of power sets from Polgahawela and Rambukkana stations for office train operations. Once repairs are completed up to Chilaw, the power sets parked at Chilaw station will also be brought into service.

The Secretary said it is providing maximum support to restore train operations to previous levels and expressed regret for the difficulties faced by passengers due to reduced train capacity.