Following damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the train services to Kandy are expected to resume by the end of this year, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena said.
He said the previously announced timeline for restoring services remains unchanged.
“We still believe that by the end of this year, it will be possible to operate trains to Kandy,” he said.
According to the deputy minister, ninety seven major damaged locations were identified along the main railway line from Colombo Fort to Badulla via Kandy, particularly between Colombo and Kadugannawa.
“Out of those 97, repairs at 92 locations have now been completed to a level where train operations can resume. Only five locations remain, and these are areas with significant structural damage,” he said.
He noted that repairs at the remaining sites require specialised technical support beyond the capacity of the Department of Railways alone.
“We are working with the National Building Research Institute (NBRI), railway engineers and the Survey Department to plan and carry out these restorations,” he said.
Construction work has already begun at three of the remaining five sites, he added, expressing confidence that services could resume within the projected timeframe. (Newswire)