School train stranded for two months after track damage between Gampola and Ulapane

By Ranjith Rajapaksa

Colombo, Jan. 14 (Daily Mirror) - A passenger train operating between Ulapane and Gampola railway stations has remained stranded for nearly two months following severe weather conditions caused by Cyclone Ditwah, our camera recorded on the 13th.

Train No. 1153, popularly known as the “School Train,” departed Kandy for Nawalapitiya at 2.07 p.m. on November 27 as scheduled, but has yet to reach its destination due to extensive damage to the railway track.

Railway officials said the track collapsed at two locations near the Warakapitiya Sub-Railway Station, between Gampola and Ulapane. The train driver, while travelling from Gampola towards Warakapitiya, alerted the Nawalapitiya Railway Control Room after a mound of earth fell onto the track, making it impossible to proceed.

When attempting to reverse the train towards Gampola, the driver noticed a bend in the railway track near the Gampola–Warakapitiya section. Acting swiftly, he managed to move the train to a safer location between the Ulapane and Warakapitiya substations, where it was brought to a halt.

Residents of the Ulapane–Warakapitiya area credited the driver’s presence of mind and local knowledge for preventing a potential disaster.

Meanwhile, villagers who depend on the train as their primary mode of public transport said they are now forced to spend additional time and money on daily travel due to the disruption. They urged authorities to commence repairs on the damaged railway track without further delay.

Railway sources said the train’s driver and staff returned to the Nawalapitiya railway station three days after the incident.