Railway service disruption causes major public hardship, Warns Station Masters

Colombo, Feb. 23 (Daily Mirror) - The Sri Lanka Railway Station Master's Union (SLRSMU) has criticized the current railway administration for causing severe hardship to the public due to poor planning in restoring services after Cyclone Ditwah.

In a statement, General Secretary R.M.S.K.C. Jayasekara said the railway has suffered the most financial losses of any state institution following the cyclone. 

He highlighted the importance of the upcountry railway in generating foreign exchange through tourism and transporting employees from suburbs like Kandy and Nawalapitiya to Colombo.

“Since there is no train service beyond Rambukkana on the main line, passengers are forced to travel by road, and the money spent on providing train services for a month is insufficient to cover even three days of road transport,” he said, emphasizing the severe economic and psychological impact on the public.

Jayasekara said that although the government initially planned to rebuild the Peradeniya Railway Bridge and construct a new double bridge, only reconstruction of the old bridge is now being pursued. 

Efforts by the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau have stalled after the Railway Engineering Technical Committee deemed the work substandard, and a fresh report on future work has been requested.

He further criticized the lack of plans to repair the line between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa and accused the current General Manager of Railways of undermining train operations. “The General Manager has deemed train operation unnecessary, halting even the parcel and goods train services that could generate revenue,” Jayasekara said, stressing that freight transport is a major revenue source for railways worldwide.

According to the association, the ongoing issues stem from appointing a Public Administration Service officer as General Manager, instead of an engineer with railway experience. Jayasekara urged authorities to form a committee of retired railway engineers to expedite restoration and improve services for passengers.