Badulla-Colombo Train ticket online seat reservation racket reduces sell out time to 30 seconds

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

Despite recent actions, the Railways Department has revealed that racketeers involved in the online seat reservation racket continue to operate through the booking system. These racketeers now reserve all available seats within just 30 seconds, a reduction from the previous 42 seconds.   

A senior department official explained, “Before the seats for Colombo Fort to Badulla were fully booked, all seats from Kandy to Nanuoya on the same train were also sold out yesterday (19).”   

A total of 454 seats are available on trains operating between Colombo Fort and Badulla, including seats in the observation carriage. These seats are reserved for both directions of travel.   

Trains 1005 and 1015: 74 Class 1 seats, 34 Class 2 seats, 58 Class 3 seats (Total: 166 seats)   
Train 1045: 52 Class 2 seats, 40 Class 3 seats (Total: 92 seats)   
Train 1007: 30 observation carriage seats   
Train 1023: 32 seats   
Ticket Prices for Colombo-Badulla Trains as follows:   
Class 1: Rs. 3,000 per person (one way)   
Class 2: Rs. 2,000 per person (one way)   
Class 3: Rs. 1,500 per person (one way)   
Observation Carriage: Rs. 3,000 per person (one way)   

The total one-way revenue for Trains 1005 and 1015 between Colombo Fort and Badulla amounts to Rs. 377,000.  

The Ella Odyssey train offers a total of 311 seats, categorized as follows: 160 Class 1 seats, 128 Class 2 seats, and 23 Class 3 seats.   

Ticket Prices for Ella Odyssey:  
Class 1 (Air-Conditioned): Rs. 8,000 per person (one way)   
Class 2: Rs. 6,000 per person (one way)   
Class 3: Rs. 5,000 per person (one way)   

The total revenue for a one-way journey on the Ella Odyssey Train amounts to Rs. 2,163,000. This is distributed as Rs. 1,280,000 for Class 1, Rs. 768,000 for Class 2, and Rs. 115,000 for Class 3.   

The Railways Department has confirmed that tickets for these trains are being resold at inflated prices by the groups involved in the racket, further exacerbating the issue and raising concerns over the integrity of the booking system.   The official also said that the tickets are issued online every weekend, there are reports of groups that buy all the tickets instantly and thereafter sell a ticket worth Rs.2,000 for Rs. 16,000 to foreigners.  

However, Railways General Manager N.J. Indipolage appreciated this effort and said during a media briefing that the Railways Department is in a good position to sell all e-tickets within 42 seconds.   

-There are reports of racketeers buying all the tickets instantly and thereafter selling a ticket worth Rs.2,000 at Rs.16,000 to foreigners

-Railways General Manager N.J. Indipolage speaking during a media briefing said that the Railways Department is in a good position to sell all e-tickets within 42 seconds.