Deputy Minister of Transport, Prasanna Gunasena, says Sri Lanka Railways is implementing a phased disaster recovery and restoration programme across the national railway network following recent extreme weather events.
In a statement on social media, Prasanna Gunasena said the phased disaster recovery and restoration programme is being carried out to ensure the safe and gradual resumption of train operations in Sri Lanka.ย
The Deputy Transport Minister further outlined the following details of the phased recovery process:
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐จ๐ฆ
Approximately 595.24 km of railway track (about 40%) has been restored.
Train services have commenced up to:
- Main Line โ Rambukkana
- Northern Line โ Maho
- Puttalam Line โ Nattandiya
- Coastal Line โ Beliatta
- Kelani Valley Line โ Awissawella
- Trincomalee Line โ Goods train operations only
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ
- Restoration โ Resuming operations as early as possible
- Rehabilitation โ Strengthening damaged sections, removing speed restrictions, and improving resilience
- Reconstruction โ Constructing new, disaster-resilient railway infrastructure
๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐ฆ
- 09.12.2025 โ 56% track availability
- 01.01.2026 โ 80% track availability
- 01.02.2026 โ Over 83% track availability
๐๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ก๐๐ฆ
- 01 Jan 2026 โ Northern Line operational up to Mahawa and extended to Kankesanthurai
- 01 Jan 2026 โ Puttalam Line operational up to Nattandiya and extended to Puttalam
- 01 Jan 2026 โ Batticaloa Line fully reopened for train operations
- 01 Jan 2026 โ Trincomalee Line fully reopened for train operations
- 01 Jan 2026 โ Regional tourist train service introduced between Badulla and Ambewela, subject to NBRO approval
- 15 Jan 2026 โ Track temporarily restored up to Wattegama and stranded train recovered to Kandy; line closure initiated for Mahaiyawa culvert repairs
- 01 Feb 2026 โ Talaimannar Line reopened for train operations
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐๐ช
Railway lines were affected by landslides, washouts, track subsidence, bridge and culvert damage, flooding, fallen trees, and other weather-related incidents across several main and branch lines.
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก & ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ
- Total estimated damage โ Rs. 341 billion
- Estimated requirement for rehabilitation and reconstruction โ Rs. 128 billion
๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ฃ
The online interactive map clearly displays railway sections that are:
- Operational
- Scheduled to commence
- Opened for service trains
- Pending estimation
๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ
https://railway.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content…
Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena further requested passengers to stay informed through official Sri Lanka Railways channels and cooperate during this phased recovery process. (Newswire)
