The Sri Lanka Railway Department (more commonly known as Sri Lanka Railways (SLR)) (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා දුම්රිය සේවය Śrī Laṃkā Dumriya Sēvaya; Tamil: இலங்கை புகையிரத சேவை Ilankai Pugaiyiradha Sēvai) is Sri Lanka's railway owner and primary operator. As part of the Sri Lankan government, it is overseen by the Ministry of Transport. Founded in 1858 as the Ceylon Government Railway, it operates the nation's railways and links Colombo (the capital) with other population centres and tourist destinations.

The Sri Lankan rail network is of broad gauge. Some of its routes are scenic, with the main line passing (or crossing) waterfalls, mountains, tea estates, pine forests, bridges and peak stations.

History

The construction of a railway in Ceylon was first raised in 1842 by European coffee planters seeking a line be constructed between Kandy and Colombo as a quicker more efficient means to transport their product for export. After protracted negotiations the Ceylon Railway Company was established in 1845, under the chair of Philip Anstruther, Colonial Secretary of Ceylon, to build the colony's first railway. In 1846 the company's engineer, Thomas Drane, undertook preliminary surveys for the new rail line. In December 1856 Captain William Scarth Moorsom, Chief Engineer of the Corps of Royal Engineers, was sent from England to assess the project for the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Henry Labouchere. His report, issued May 1857, considered six alternative routes to Kandy and recommended the adoption of Route No.3 via the Parnepettia Pass, with a total length of , a ruling gradient of one in 60, with a short tunnel at an estimated cost of £856,557. The initial sod turning was on 3 August 1858 (near the present Maradana railway station) by Governor Sir Henry Ward. The Ceylon Railway Company's contractor, William Thomas Doyne, soon realised that it was impossible to complete the work on the estimate submitted. In 1861, the contract with the Ceylon Railway Company was terminated, the subscribed capital paid off, and the government took over the construction work, under the name Ceylon Government Railway (now Sri Lanka Railway). At the end of 1862 the Crown Agents for the Colonies accepted, on behalf of the Government of Ceylon, a tender from William Frederick Faviell for the construction of of railway between Colombo and Kandy.

The service began with a main line connecting Colombo and Ambepussa. Sir Guilford Lindsey Molesworth, the first chief engineer, became director general of the government railway. Many Ceylonese people referred to the trains as (Sinhala:අගුරු කකා වතුර බිබී කොළඹ දුවන යකඩ යකා) Anguru Kaka Wathura Bibi Colaba Duwana Yakada Yaka ("coal-eating, water-drinking, metal monster which is sprinting to Colombo").

Extensions were made to the main line in 1867, 1874, 1885, 1894 and 1924 to Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Nanu Oya, Bandarawela and Badulla. Other lines were added to the rail system during its first century, including an 1880 line to Matale; the 1895 Coast Railway Line; the 1905 Northern Line; the 1914 Mannar Line; the 1919 Kelani Valley Line; the 1926 Puttalam Line, and the 1928 line to Batticaloa and Trincomalee. For more than 80 years after that, no major extensions were added to the Ceylonese rail network.

Rail infrastructure was improved from 1955 to 1970 under the management of B. D. Rampala, chief mechanical engineer and general manager of the Ceylon Government Railway. Emphasising punctuality and comfort, Rampala led upgrades to major stations outside Colombo and the rebuilding of track in the Eastern Province to facilitate heavier, faster trains. He introduced express trains (many of which had iconic names), and ensured that Ceylon's rail system was up to date and offered comfort to its passengers. Until 1953, Ceylon's railways used steam locomotives. During 1960s and 70s, they changed to diesel locomotives under Rampala's leadership.

The government began a 10-year railway-development strategy in the early 2010s, ordering replacement DMUs. The southern line, which was damaged in the 2004 tsunami, was upgraded from 2010 to 2012; its track was upgraded to handle train speeds of . Sri Lanka Railways began partnering with ExpoRail and Rajadhani Express in 2011 for premium service on major routes. Its northern line, affected by almost three decades of war, is being rebuilt; in 2015, it was restored to Jaffna and Kankesanthurai at pre-war levels The maximum speed on this line is currently 120 km/h(74 mph). The southern line is being extended from Matara to Kataragama to serve the developing city of Hambantota. In 2019, track construction to Beliaththa was completed.

Rolling stock In 1936, the Ceylon Government Railways owned 261 locomotives, 30 steam railcars, 1591 coaches and 3259 goods wagons. As of 2026, Sri Lanka Railways operates 396 trains. The train system carries 3,72 million passengers daily.

Locomotives

Sri Lanka Railways' locomotives are primarily diesel. Steam locomotives, in regular service until the late 1970s, are used on heritage trains such as the Viceroy Special.

The first locomotives pulled trains during the 1860s on the original main line connecting Colombo and Ambepussa. Sri Lanka Railways converted to diesel locomotives in 1953, and several types were added to its fleet. Although Sri Lanka did not have commercially-operating electric locomotives or trainsets in 2011, electrification has been proposed to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.

Coaches + Different Coaching Stocks used in Sri Lanka Railways No. Code Type Notes 1 AFC Air-conditioned First Class - 2 RS Reserved Saloon - 3 RC Restaurant Car - 4 NF Berth (First Class) - 5 NS Berth (Second Class) - 6 SC Second Class -7SBCSecond Bus Class - 8 TC Third Class -9TCGThird Class & Guard - 10 ST Second & Third Class composite - 11 SV Second Class & Brake Van - 12 TV Third Class & Brake Van - 13 TCBU Third Class & Buffet Car - 14 OFV Observation Saloon - 15 SCS Second Class Sleeperettes - 16 TCS Third Class Sleeperettes - 17 ARS Air-conditioned Reserved Saloon - 18 GV Generator Van - 19 PBV Parcel & Brake Van - 20 POV Post Office Van -21MCGS12 & S14 Engines -

+ Different Coaches from various manufacturers used in Sri Lanka Railways Photo Sr.No. Manufacturer Country of origin Year Quantity built Length (in feet) Notes 1 SLR Rathmalana Works Sri Lanka 1939 29

45 ft. Out of Service; a few maybe spotted with departmental duty trains. 2 China CNR China 1964 44 55 ft. Almost all scrapped; a few Third Class Guard Vans are in service with freight trains and also with Chinese coach rakes made in 2007 - 3 Astra Rail Industries Romania 1976 13 55 ft. 1st Batch of Romanian coaches - 4 Astra Rail Industries Romania 1979-1980 188 55 ft. & 45 ft. 2nd Batch of Romanian coaches 5 BEML India 1980 34 45 ft. & 50 ft. Most of them scrapped; a few Sleeperette coaches are in service with Night Mail trains, and also used in departmental duty. - 6 Astra Rail Industries Romania 1981 90 55 ft. 3rd Batch of Romanian coaches 7 Astra Rail Industries Romania 1989 130 55 ft. & 45 ft. 4th Batch of Romanian coaches. Later refurbished by Tantri Trailer (Pvt.) Ltd. 8 Astra Rail Industries Romania 1990s 312 55 ft. & 45 ft. 5th Batch of Romanian coaches. Later refurbished by Tantri Trailer (Pvt.) Ltd. 9 China CNR China 2007-2008 100 65 ft. Withdrawn from service in 2020 due to faulty brake system. A few coaches were returned to limited service after brake retrofitting. 10 Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai India 2020-2022 160 65 ft. Ordered to replace faulty Chinese coaches and Romanian coaches nearing end of service life. Mainly to be used for on the Northern & Coastal lines.

Most of the passenger coaches that are in service are either manufactured by the Romanian Astra Rail Industrieshttp://www.infolanka.com/org/mrail/slrails.html The Railways of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) or by ICF, Chennai. On most lines, service is being upgraded with long-haul diesel multiple units from CSR Corporation and India's RITES.

Network The Sri Lankan railway network is 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge. All service is diesel-powered. The network is divided into three operating regions based in Colombo, Anuradhapura and Nawalapitiya. The railway is modernising and extending the Coastal Line for faster trains and improved efficiency.

Electrification Although electrification was first proposed in 1928, the cabinet did not approve the electrification of suburban railways until 2015. Electrification of the Panadura-Veyangoda line is proposed in phase one of the Western Region Megapolis plan with a soft loan from the Asian Development Bank.

A contract was signed by Malaysia's Airport Express Air and Rail Company and the government of Sri Lanka for a new electric rail line between Negombo and Colombo, and the project was expected to be completed by 2018. Electrification of the busiest sections of the network was proposed several times to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. Around 1998, the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) submitted recommendations for railway electrification. Although they were approved by the cabinet, they were not implemented. The IESL made new proposals for electrification in 2008 and 2010, but no work was done because the voltage systems were undefined. System electrification is favoured by the IESL to reduce pollution and travel time and increase passenger comfort.

Although Sri Lanka Railways is planning to electrify the Colombo commuter-rail system from Veyangoda to Maradana, Maradana to Kaluthara and Ragama to Negombo, their voltage systems are unknown. Fifteen electric multiple units will be imported for commuter service.

Signalling Much of the network uses a lock-and-block signaling system. During the mid-twentieth century, the busiest sectors (around Colombo) were upgraded to electronic signalling connected to a CTC control panel at the Maradana railway station.

In 2011, a project to add electronic signalling to the northern lines began. Track between Anuradhapura, Kankesanturai, and Talaimannar would have electronic signalling with centralised traffic control: an interlocking colour-light system with electrically operated points and a track-detection system. Level crossings would be connected to the signalling system, ensuring safety.

After the 2011 Alawwa rail accident, SLR began installing a GPS-based train-protection system on its fleet. The system warns a train driver of a possible collision in time to manually stop the train. The fleet can also be monitored by a central control room with the system. A trial run with ten trains was conducted in early November 2011.

Routes Major population centres and tourist destinations are connected by rail. Service began in 1864 with the construction of the Main Line from Colombo to Ambepussa, east, and the first train ran on 27 December 1864. The line was officially opened to traffic on 2 October 1865. The Main Line was extended in stages, with service to Kandy in 1867, to Nawalapitiya in 1874, to Nanu-Oya in 1885, to Bandarawela in 1894, and to Badulla in 1924. Other lines were completed to link the country: the Matale Line in 1880, the Coastal Line in 1895, the Northern Line in 1905, the Mannar Line in 1914, the Kelani Valley Line in 1919, the Puttalam Line in 1926, and the Batticaloa and Trincomalee Lines in 1928.https://www.infolanka.com/org/mrail/rroutes.html The Rail Routes of Sri Lanka

Railway services

Sri Lanka Railways' annual total operated train kilometres were 8,362,121 in 2020 and 6,281,227 in 2021, 10,489,941 in 2022 and 10,889,982 in 2023, and 10,495,125 in 2024. The totals include passenger trains, goods trains, empty coaches, light locomotives and special trains.