Yal Devi

Yal Devi යාල් දේවී யாழ் தேவி
The Northern Line in Sri Lanka
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Sri Lanka
First service	Approx 1956[1]
Last service	present
Current operator(s)	Sri Lanka Railways
Former operator(s)	Ceylon Government Railway
Route
Start	Colombo Fort
End	Kankesanturai (suspended); temporarily ends at Kilinochchi
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	4001 (Colombo Fort-Omanthai) 4002 (Omanthai-Colombo Fort)[2]
Technical
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Route map [ v t e ] Northern Line Legend Kankesanthurai Maviddapuram Tellipalai Mallakam Chunnakam Inuvil Kondavil Kokkuvil Jaffna Punkankulam Uppu Aru Lagoon Navatkuly Thachanthoppu Chavakacheri Sankathanai Meesalai Kodikamamam Mirusuvil Eluthumadduval Pallai Elephant Pass Chundikkulam Lagoon Paranthan Kilinochchi Murikandy Temple Murikandy Mankulam Puliyankulam Omanthai Thandikulam Vavuniya Iratperiyakulam Punewa Mannar Line to Talaimannar Medawachchiya Junction Medawachchiya Parasangahawewa Saliyapura Mihintale Branch Line to Mihintale Anuradhapura Anuradhapura New Town Malvathu River Sravasthipura Talawa Thambuttegama Senarathgama Galgamuwa Ambanpola Randenigama Maho Batticaloa Line to Batticaloa Maho Junction Nagollagama Ganewatta Wellawa Mutttettugalla Kurunegala Nailiya Pothuhera Thallawattegedara Girambe Main Line to Badulla Polgahawela Junction Main Line to Colombo Fort

Yal Devi (sinhala: යාල් දේවී; Tamil: யாழ் தேவி) is a major intercity express train in Sri Lanka.^[2] Operated by Sri Lanka Railways, the Yal Devi connects Colombo, the nation's commercial hub, with the northern cities of Jaffna and Kankesanturai. Since 1990, the service has had to terminate at intermediate stations, due to the Sri Lankan civil war. Currently the Northern Line is being rebuilt to allow the Yal Devi to return to Jaffna and Kankesanturai.^[3]

Services

The Yal Devi offers two classes of travel. The train also includes a buffet car.^[2]

• 2nd class.
• 3rd class typically gets very crowded and carries only basic facilities.

History

Though trains had been operating on the Northern Line since the beginning of the twentieth century, the services were not named. In the 1950s named trains were established on the major lines. The Yal Devi, as a named-express train, was established to connect Colombo, Jaffna, and Kankesanturai, as commissioned by B. D. Rampala, the railways' then-general manager.^[1]

In 1990, the Yal Devi stopped operating past Vavuniya because of the declining security condition.^[3]

After the war ended in 2009, work started to rebuild the track and restore the Yal Devi service to Kankesanturai,^[4] under the Uthuru Mithuru Project. Initially, the service was extended to Thandikulam,^[5] but now to Kilinochchi.^[6]

Route

Yal Devi Train At Kurunegala Railway Station

The Yal Devi follows Sri Lanka Railways' Northern Line. The train begins its northbound journey at Colombo Fort.^[7] At Polgahawela, the train branches off the Main Line, moving towards Kankesanturai. It passes Kurunegala, the capital of North Western Province, before continuing to the historic cultural and religious center of Anuradhapura, the island's ancient capital around the 4th century BCE and home to many sites of religious and archaeological interest. After passing Vavuniya, service now terminates at Omanthai.^[8] The train used to travel onwards to Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass, where it enters the Jaffna Peninsula. The train used to arrive at Jaffna, the main cultural centre of the north, before continuing on to Kankesanturai, a port city.

See also

• Sri Lanka Railways
• List of named passenger trains of Sri Lanka

References

External links

• Uthuru Mithuru: Rebuilding the Yal Devi Friendship Track