Transportation in Sri Lanka is based mainly on the road network which is centered on Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. There is also a 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 navigable waterways, harbours and airports, including an international airport, located in Katunayake, 22 miles north of Colombo. The highways and roadways around the capital are in very good condition and are being upgraded.
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Rail Transport in Sri Lanka consists of a heavy-rail intercity network connecting major population centres and commuter rail serving Colombo commuter traffic. Sri Lanka Railways operates the country’s railway network, which includes about 1,450 km (901 mi) of track. Colombo is the main node of the network, 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 focused 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 Railway is currently modernising and extending the Coast Line to facilitate faster trains and improved efficiency.[1] Electrification of the busiest sections of the network was proposed in 2010, to improve energy efficiency and sustainability,[2] but no work was carried out. The Railway is currently extending the Coastal line from Matara to Kataragama, via Hambantota.
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, Nawalapitiya, Matale, Vavuniya, Puttalam and Chilaw with the Capital Colombo. The lines to Jaffna, Kankesanturai and Mannar have been destroyed by the LTTE. 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.
The narrow-gauge Kelani Valley Line, from Colombo to Avissawella, was converted to broad gauge. In the 1970s the bridges and culverts on the line were strengthened to make the change to broad gauge, but the actual conversion 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.
In 2005 a new government ministry was established to oversee railway expansion. In 2007, this ministry announced plans for Matara - Kataragama (113 km), Padukka - Hambantota - Ratnapura (210 km), Kurunegala - Dambulla - Habarana (80 km) and Panadura - Horana (18 km) lines by 2014.[3]
Road transport accounts for about 93 percent of the land transport in Sri Lanka. The country has 12,000 km of A class and B class roads. The road density is highest in the southwest, especially in the area around Colombo. The traditional bullock cart is still used in rural regions.
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 |
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, and privately run buses.
Sri Lanka has 430 km of inland waterways, navigable by shallow-draught boats.
Sri Lanka has 62 km of pipelines for crude oil and petroleum products (1987 figures).
Sri Lanka has deep-water ports, at Colombo, Hambantota, Galle, and Trincomalee. Of these, Colombo handles the highest volume of cargo, followed by Galle. There is a harbour at Kankesanturai, north of Jaffna, navigable by ships of relatively shallow draught.
The port at Hambantota is built into an artificial harbour completed in 2010. Bunkering facilities are currently under construction.[4][5] The Colombo Port is also expanding.
Total: 24 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over) totaling 192,190 GRT/293,832 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Ships by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo ship 16, container ship 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo ship 5 (1999 estimate).
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. Sri Lanka's international airports include Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, as well as the under-construction Mattala International Airport.
Flights connect the airport in Ratmalana to various domestic destinations.
Domestic Operators
Bandaranaike International Airport, the country’s only international airport, is located in Katunayaka, 35 km (22 mi) north of Colombo. Mattala International Airport is under construction north of Hambantota. The total number of airports in the country is 14 (1999 figure).
| Total | 12 |
| Over 3,047 m | 1 |
| 1,524 to 2,437 m | 5 |
| 914 to 1,523 m | 6 |
| Total | 2 |
| 1,524 to 2,437 m | 1 |
| Under 914 m | 1 |
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