Revised timetable: Trains to start 15 min earlier: GMR

According to the revised timetable of the coastal line train service, trains would start about fifteen minutes earlier than the current schedules, Railway General Manager (GMR) W. A. S. Gunasinghe said.

"The number of commuters has doubled following the economic crisis. The trains are scheduled to stop at stations for only about one minute, but due to a large number of commuters, trains have to stop for at least four to five minutes at each station now," the GMR said.

Addressing the media, he said about 400 trains used to operate daily, including the rush hour ‘office trains.’
“Due to the prevailing situation in the country, the Railways Department had to face many difficulties when purchasing lubricants and spare parts and railway sleepers, but along with this, the number of commuters has also doubled,” he said.

Therefore, the department has decided to revise the timetable while managing the number of resources we have to enable people to come to offices. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)