| Type | Government-owned corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Headquarters | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Key people | Mr. B.A.P.Ariyaratne, General Manager (act.) |
| Revenue | - LKR 7,500,000,000 |
| Employees | approx.18000 |
| Website | www.railway.gov.lk |
Sri Lanka Railway Department, branded "Sri Lanka Railways" (SLR), is a key department of the Sri Lankan Government under the Ministry of Transport with a history that begins in 1858. Sri Lanka Railways (formerly CGR – Ceylon Government Railway) operates the nation's rail network linking Colombo - the commercial capital of Sri Lanka - and many population centres and tourist destinations.
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Presently the Sri Lankan Railway network consists of 1,508 kilometres with 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge. The narrow gauge lines were 2 ft 6 in (762 mm). The railway contains some of the most magnificent scenic rail routes in the world. Particularly the Main Line winding through both natural beauties such as waterfalls, natural forest mountains, misty peaks and precipices, as well as man made festoons such as tea estates, pine forests and engineering feats including bridges and peak level stations.
The Railway Network was introduced by the British in 1864. The main reason for building a railway system in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was to transport tea and coffee from the hill country to Colombo. Initially the service began with the Main Line of 54 kilometres connecting Colombo and Ambepussa.[1] Sir Guilford Lindsey Molesworth became the first chief engineer and later Director General of the government railways. During this time, many Sri Lankans referred to the trains as the Anguru Kaka Wathura Bibi Duwana Yakada Yaka[2] (the coal-eating, water-drinking, sprinting, metal yaks).
Extensions were made to the main line in 1867, 1874, 1885, 1894 and 1924, extending its service to Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Nanu Oya, Bandarawela and Badulla, respectively.[3] Many other railway lines were added to Ceylon Railway System within the first century of its life, such as a line to Matale in 1880, Coast Railway Line in 1895, Northern Line in 1905, Mannar Line in 1914, Kelani Valley in 1919, Puttalam Line in 1926, and Railway Line to Batticaloa and Trincomalee in 1928. For more than 80 years after that,[4] no more major extensions were added to the Sri Lankan (Ceylon) railway network as the British left the country for native rule.
Though the British established the railway system, the golden era of Sri Lanka Railways was during 1955–1970 under the management of B.D Rampala, the most respected chief mechanical engineer and later General Manager of CGR.[2] Rampala worked to maintain punctuality and improve comfort. He led the upgrading of major railway stations outside Colombo, and the rebuilding of the track in the Eastern Province to facilitate heavier and faster trains. He launched express trains, many of which were given iconic names. In effect, he ensured that Sri Lanka's railway system was up-to-date in technology and offering greater comfort to its passengers.[2][5]
Till 1953, Sri Lankan Railway served with steam locomotives. In the golden era, it enhanced its service to more power with diesel locomotives, under the leadership of Rampala.[5] Various types of diesel locomotives were added to the service.
In the late 20th century, the railway started to decline. For three decades, it suffered from neglect and poor treatment.[6]
During this time, SLR failed to keep up with technological innovations seen in other railways. Issues of travel time, reliability, and comfort caused it to lose much of its market share of passenger transport. By 2011, its share of the market was only seven percent.[2]
In the early 2010s, the government launched a 10-year Railway Development Strategy to bring the railway back to satisfactory condition.[2][6] It started by ordering new diesel-multiple units(DMU) to replace the current trains.[6][7] The railway is upgrading the track on the Southern line, which was damaged in the 2004 tsunami,[8] and it is rebuilding the Northern line, which suffered from war for three decades.[9] The railway is also extending the Southern line from Matara to Kataragama, in order to serve the growing city of Hambantota.[4]
Sri Lanka Railways operates both intercity services, connecting major population centres, and commuter rail, serving Colombo commuter traffic.[12] The railways also transport freight.
Most inter-city services are provided in different classes of varying comfort[13]:
Commuter trains serve the busiest portions of the railways, ferrying commuters within Colombo and its suburbs.[14] Most commuter trains are operated with diesel-multiple units, and lack the three-class configuration seen in the inter-city services.[12] Commuter trains help alleviate rush hour congestion on city roads, but can be very crowded.
Electrification of the commuter rail network has been proposed, to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.[15]
A number of long distance trains were named by CGR.
Regular services:
Specials:
Locomotives of Sri Lanka Railways consist mostly of diesel locomotives. Steam locomotives were used on regular services until the 1950s, but now only run on heritage trains, such as the Viceroy Special.[19][5]
The first locomotives pulled trains in the 1860s on the original segment of the Main Line, on 54 kilometres connecting Colombo and Ambepussa.[20] In 1953, Sri Lanka Railways enhanced its service to more power with diesel locomotives.[5] Since then, various types of diesel locomotives were added to the service.
As of August 2011, Sri Lanka does not have commercially operational electric locomotives or train sets. Electrification has been proposed, to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.[21]
Most passenger coaches are either Romanian-built ASTRA passenger coaches[22][23] or Chinese-built CSR coaches. On most lines, the service is currently being upgraded, as new long-haul diesel multiple units from CSR and India's RITES Ltd are being imported.[24][25][26]
Like several state-owned enterprises in the country, Sri Lanka Railways regularly incurres large financial losses.[27] It has not made a profit since 1943. As of May 2007, the railway makes a revenue of about three billion rupees, but requires a state subsidy of seven billion rupees to balance its budget.[28]
It faces the challenge of addressing high operational and infrastructure costs, dealing with a Victorian era network. The State has been the employer of first resort, which has caused the railway to be overstaffed. Priority needs to be attached to reallocating labour from less to more productive employment activities.[29] The railway faces the need to rationalise underpriced fares.[30]
Sri Lanka Railways runs on Victorian-era infrastructure and aging equipment. A substantial amount of expenditure goes to rehabilitating poorly-maintained assets, as opposed to regular maintenance. Over the years, rolling stock capacity has declined due to this issue, reducing the quantity and quality that the system is able to provide.[27] Since 2007, the railways have been ordering new rolling stock to meet this shortage.[31]
Sri Lanka Railways has not integrated its services with other modes of transport. Unlike transport systems in some other countries, Sri Lanka does not streamline ticketing between road and rail passenger transport or provide thorough documentation for road/rail freight services. Buses do not provide dedicated feeder-bus services to the railways, resulting in Commuter rail and buses acting as isolated systems in relation to each other. This creates a loss in efficiency.[27]
Other than these, a number of accidents have taken place. One major type is elephant accidents, which typically occur in the North-Central area. Other accidents occur at unsecured level crossings with road traffic. There are only 527 secure level crossings, out of 1684 crossings, in Sri Lanka.
In an attempt to prevent collisions, SLR has begun the process of installing a GPS-based, train-protection system. The system would warn drivers of a possible collision with enough time to prevent it.[33][34]
Some Video From Youtube about Sri Lanka Railway
Several types of locomotives used by the Sri Lanka Railway Department for transporting passengers and wares:
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Sri Lanka Railways has become an integral part of local popular culture, with references to it in books and TV shows, as well as in everyday life.
Some of the most popular trains, such as the Samudra Devi, have become cultural symbols representing commuter travel as a part of suburban life. The railway impacts the way people perceive suburban living.[12]