Transport in Sri Lanka
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Transportation in Sri Lanka is based mainly on the road network which is centred on Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. There is also an extensive railway network but it is largely a legacy of British colonial rule and is less appropriate for the modern transport requirements of the country. There are also navigable waterways, harbours and airports, including an international airport, located in Katunayaka, 22 miles north of Colombo. The highways and roadways around the capital are in very good condition and being upgraded for the future.
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[edit] Railways
Sri Lanka Railways operates the country’s railway network, which includes about 1,450 km (about 900 mi) of track. Colombo is the node of the network, and train routes connect the main cities of all nine provinces in the country.
Most of the railways were developed during the British colonial period, with the first line from Colombo to Kandy opening on 26 April 1867. The British introduced the railway as a cheap means of transporting the goods produced in the British-owned tea, rubber and coconut plantations, situated away from the main port in Colombo. Hence, the legacy rail network was suited for the distribution from plantations.
After independence from Britain, the Sri Lankan economy became focussed more on industries than plantation agriculture. The road network also grew, and with the introduction of lorries, which were a faster means of transporting goods, the amount of goods transported by the railways declined. As the railway network is more focused on plantation areas and not on population and service centres, the railways have become an enterprise generating a heavy loss.
The Sri Lankan railway network covers one of the most scenic landscapes in the world, the best of which is the Colombo-Badulla main line which runs hugging the steep mountains of the Sri lankan highlands. The railways connect the main cities of Kandy, Galle, Matara, Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Negombo, Kurunegala, Avissawella, Kalutara, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Badulla, Gampola, Matale, Vavuniya, Puttalam and Chilaw with the Capital Colombo. The lines to Jaffna, Kankesanturai and Mannar have been destroyed by an organisation fighting on the northern areas for a separate state. There were also narrow gauge lines from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya, Avissawella to Yatiyantota and Avissawella to Ratnapura and Opanayaka, which were dismantled due to financial losses from their operation.
| Length of track (1996 figures) | |
| Total | 1,463 km |
| Broad gauge | 1,404 km 1.676-m gauge |
| Narrow gauge | 59 km 0.762-m gauge (1996) |
Note that the narrow-gauge Kelani Valley Line, from Colombo to Avissawella is not functioning at present, there being a broad-gauge track in its place. In the 1970s the bridges and culverts on the line were strengthened to make the change to broad-gauge, but the actual transition was not made until the 1990s.
The potential for expansion was revealed when Minister of Transport Leslie Goonewardena opened an extension of the Coastal Line from Puttalam to Aruvakalu in 1974, to service the cement factory there. Cargo traffic increased immediately by about 40% by tonnage.
A new line from Matara to Tissamaharama has been started. In 2005 a new government ministry was established to oversee railway expansion.
[edit] Highways
Road transport accounts for about 93 percent of the land transport in Sri Lanka. The country has about 96,695 km (60,083 mi) of roads. The road density is highest in the southwest, especially in the area around Colombo.
Many roads are narrow, and in poor condition. However, many "A" Class roads are being upgraded to a smoother bitumen surface, as well as being widened with road markings. The Southern Expressway is a project underway, aiming to bolster the economy of the Southern Province through the construction of a 126 km long expressway from Colombo(Kottawa) to Matara. There are also plans for other expressways; the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, Colombo-Kandy (Kadugannawa) Expressway, Colombo-Padeniya Expressway, Outer Circular Highway (Colombo bypass road). The main roads around colombo and its suburbs are in good condition. The roads that are widely used around Colombo are being upgraded and repaved.
Length of roads (1998 estimate)
Total 11,285 km
Paved 10,721 km
Unpaved 564 km
[edit] Public Transport
Buses are the principal mode of public transport. Bus services are provided by the state-run Sri Lanka Transport Board, better known as the CTB. There are also private buses.
[edit] Waterways
Sri Lanka hs 430 km of inland waterways, navigable by shallow-draught craft.
[edit] Pipelines
Sri lanka has 62km of pipelines for crude oil and petroleum products (1987 figures).
[edit] Ports and harbours
Sri Lanka has three deep-water ports, at Colombo, Galle, and Trincomalee. Of these, Colombo handles the highest volume of cargo, followed by Galle. There is also a harbour at Kankesanturai, north of Jaffna, navigable by ships of relatively shallow draught.
[edit] Merchant marine
Total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 192,190 GRT/293,832 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 16, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 5 (1999 estimate).
[edit] Airports
Sri Lankan Airlines is the national airline. Founded in 1979 as Air Lanka, the airline changed its name when it came under partial foreign ownership in 1998. Bandaranaike International Airport, the country’s only international airport, is located in Katunayaka, 35 km (22 mi) north of Colombo. The total number of airports is 14 (1999 figure).
[edit] Airports - with paved runways
Total: 10 Over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6
[edit] Airports - with unpaved runways
Total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 Under 914 m: 1
