Badulla-Colombo train service disrupted after trees fall on track

By Prasad Rukmal

Ella, June 27 (Daily Mirror) - The Badulla-Colombo train service was disrupted this morning (June 27) after several large pine trees fell onto the railway track between Demodara and Ella railway stations along the Upcountry Railway Line, the Railway Department said.

The driver of the Udarata Menike train No. 1016, which departed Badulla for Colombo Fort at 5.45 a.m., managed to prevent a serious accident by stopping the train in time after spotting the fallen trees on the track.

According to railway officials, three large pine trees, which had been damaged in a fire at the Ella Pine Forest Reserve, collapsed onto the railway line, blocking train movement.

Railway workers are currently engaged in clearing the fallen trees to restore normal train operations on the affected section, the department added.