Train services between Nanu Oya and Badulla resumed Saturday (20) following the completion of restoration work on the upcountry railway line damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.
Rail services had been limited to operating between Ambewela and Badulla after a landslide damaged the railway track at Parakumpura, between Nanu Oya and Ambewela.
The Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development said the Railway Department’s Track and Works Division carried out continuous restoration work over the past several months to restore the affected section.
The repair work was particularly challenging due to the difficult terrain, adverse weather conditions, the severity of the damage caused by the cyclone, limited access routes to the area and the need to transport machinery and construction materials by rail.
The damaged section was fully restored through a joint effort involving railway engineers, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and a private sector institution.
Marking the resumption of services, the “Podi Menike” train departed from Nanu Oya to Badulla at 9.00 a.m. following a multi-religious ceremony held at the Nanu Oya Railway Station.
All trains on the route are equipped with first-class air-conditioned and second-class reserved seating compartments. Seat reservations can be made through the online reservation system or at railway stations offering reservation facilities. (Newswire)