Special train services to Jaffna for Nallur Festival – Minister Bimal Rathnayake assures

By Thevatharsan Sukinthan

Minister of Highways and Transport Bimal Rathnayake has assured that the government is paying attention to providing special train and bus services during the Nallur and Madhu festival seasons, two of the most significant religious festivals in Northern Sri Lanka.

The minister made these remarks while addressing the public after attending a recent road handover ceremony in Jaffna.

The Department of Railways had recently announced that the daily express train service between Jaffna and Colombo would be reduced for four days.

Following the announcement, opposition politicians, including Member of Parliament Rasamanickam Shanakiyan of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Jaffna District Organizer Geethanath Kasilingam, expressed dissatisfaction. They urged the government to ensure uninterrupted train services during the Nallur festival period.

In response to the criticism, authorities later announced that the express train service, which had initially been reduced for four days, would instead operate on six days of the week, with services suspended only on Wednesdays.

Speaking recently in Jaffna, Minister Bimal Rathnayake explained that the shortage of locomotives was caused by several factors, including a locomotive that remains stranded in the Warakapola area and the need to allocate locomotives for repair work after railway tracks in the hill country were damaged.

Despite these temporary challenges, the minister emphasized that the government would definitely provide special transport services for both the Nallur Festival and the Madhu Festival.

At present, the Mount Lavinia–Kankesanthurai express train operates six days a week. It departs Mount Lavinia at 5:15 a.m. and arrives at Kankesanthurai at 12:13 p.m. The return journey begins from Kankesanthurai at 1:50 p.m.and concludes at Mount Lavinia at 9:40 p.m.