The future of Sri Lanka’s upcountry railway line has come under scrutiny, with the Station Masters’ Union raising serious concerns over stalled bridge repairs and the absence of clear plans for restoration.

The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union alleges that renovation work on the Peradeniya railway bridge on the upcountry line has now been halted, and that there are no plans to commence restoration work on the railway line between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa.

Issuing a media release, the union states that although the government initially proposed to intervene and construct a new dual bridge to repair the Peradeniya railway bridge of the upcountry line damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, later plans were drawn up instead to renovate the old bridge.

It further notes that the government announced that trains would run to Kandy in April 2026.

However, although the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) became involved in the renovation work through government intervention, the union states that the work carried out so far has been halted because the Railway Engineering Technical Committee expressed the view that the work did not meet the required inspection standards.

Accordingly, it is noted that the Railway Department has proposed calling for another report on the future work of this bridge.

The union also points out in its statement that certain actions of the present General Manager of Railways have caused these problems.

They allege that appointing an officer of the state administrative service as General Manager of Railways has given rise to this problematic situation.

The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union charges that the present General Manager of Railways is acting to reduce train operations in order to minimize expenses, based on a very simple argument of showing that the department is making a profit.

The union points out that the inability of departmental officials to express their views, and the failure of the General Manager of Railways to listen to the opinions of other officials, has not only brought disrepute to the present government but also caused severe hardship to railway passengers.

Therefore, they point out that the problematic situation has mainly affected the restoration of the line damaged by subsidence.

Accordingly, the union further requests the relevant responsible authorities to appoint a committee consisting of retired railway engineers who have served as General Managers of Railways, in order to restore train operations swiftly to normalcy. (Newswire)

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The Road Development Authority (RDA) says that galvanized safety barriers will be constructed on both sides of the road in dangerous and accident-prone areas in the upcountry.

The RDA said that there are approximately 500 kilometres of such places in the Nuwara Eliya district alone.

Stating that the construction of approximately 15 kilometres of safety barriers has been completed, the RDA said priority has been given to areas where traffic accidents have occurred in the past.

The RDA further said that under this, plans have been made to construct galvanized safety barriers at dangerous locations on roads in the Kandy, Matale and Badulla districts as well. (Newswire)

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Cabinet approval has been granted for the implementation of the charter for the upcountry plantation community in Sri Lanka.

The charter for the upcountry plantation community in Sri Lanka has been drafted as a basic document in guiding government efforts, enabling the government to achieve the commitment of the government to fully integrate the upcountry plantation community into the wider socioeconomic structure. 

According to the government, through the implementation of said charter, it will be possible to address the challenges continuously encountered by the plantation community and to build an equitable society within Sri Lanka. 

As such, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Estate Infrastructure Development to implement the said charter for the upcountry plantation community. (Newswire)

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