| Kelani Valley Line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Regional rail |
| System | Sri Lanka Railways |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Sri Lanka |
| Termini | Colombo Fort Avissawella |
| Stations | 25 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1902 (as narrow gauge) |
| Reopened | 1996 (as broad gauge) |
| Operator(s) | Sri Lanka Railways |
| Depot(s) | Maradana |
| Technical | |
| No. of tracks | Single track |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) |
| Old gauge | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) |
| Kelani Valley Line, Sri Lanka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Kelani Valley Railway Line, in Sri Lanka, covering the breadth of Colombo District and some parts of Kegalla and Ratnapura Districts is owned, maintained and operated by the Sri Lanka Railways.
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The Kelani Valley Line was originally built from Colombo to Yatiyanthota via Avissawella during 1900 - 1902. It was branched off at Avissawella and extended up to Opanayaka via Ratnapura (completed in 1912). Originally built as a narrow gauge line 762 mm (2 ft 6 in)[1] to serve the rubber plantations in the area, the railway line between Avissawella and Yatiyanthota was removed in 1942, the line from Homagama to Opanayaka abandoned in 1973. The services were restarted up to Avissawella in 1978. In 1992 a project was started to broad gauge the line and was finally completed up to Avissawella (58 km) in 1996. The tracks beyond were completely abandoned and currently the tracks from Avissawella to Yatiyanthota and Opanayaka can be traced by the leftover and ruined stations, bridges and bunds.
As of January 1, 2009, there were 16 trains operating on the line daily, mainly catering for the rush hour commuters traveling to and from Colombo.
Currently the line serves an increasingly urbanizing population leading up to Avissawella. Even though the line was broad gauged to improve the services in capacity and speed, the objectives have not been achieved due to sharp curves (a leftover of the narrow gauge system) and the illegal constructions on either sides of the track from Colombo up to Maharagama.
Major railway stations on the line are Colombo Fort, Maradana, Narahenpita, Nugegoda, Maharagama, Pannipitiya Kottawa, Homagama, Panagoda, Padukka, Waga, Kosgama, and Avissawella.