Cyclone disrupts 70% of rail network

Sri Lanka’s railway service has been severely disrupted by the recent cyclone, with only 30 percent of the network currently operational, Commissioner General of Essential Services B. K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi said.

Out of 1,593 km of railway lines across the country, just 478 km remain in use.  

Chandrakeerthi said the cyclone caused extensive damage across key sectors, including transport, agriculture, electricity and telecommunications. Assessments show that 1,777 tanks, 483 dams, 1,936 canals and 328 agricultural roads have been affected. Around 137,265 acres of farmland and 305 small irrigation channels have also been destroyed, dealing a heavy blow to the agricultural sector.  

While the Road Development Authority has reopened 246 blocked roads, 22 bridges have been completely destroyed nationwide. This includes six bridges in the Uva Province; four each in the Northern and North Western Provinces; three in the Western Province; two each in the Central and Eastern Provinces; and one in the North Central Province.  

Efforts to restore electricity are ongoing, with 91 percent of disrupted connections already re-established. Of the 16,178 affected substations, 11,315 have been restored, bringing power back to 2,526,264 consumers—72 percent of the total affected. The Nuwara Eliya District remains one of the most heavily impacted areas, where repair work continues. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has directed hospitals in affected regions to revise their schedules once conditions stabilize, prioritizing missed clinics, treatment sessions and medical examinations to ensure essential healthcare services resume smoothly.