Passengers on the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Intercity Express faced lengthy delays and severe overcrowding on Wednesday after the train developed a technical fault at Veyangoda Railway Station.
The service had left Colombo Fort Railway Station at 5.45 a.m. and broke down at around 8.00 a.m., railway sources told Daily Mirror.
Because Wednesday was the Esala Full Moon Poya Day holiday, every seat on the train had been reserved. Passengers were transferred to the Yal Devi Express, which arrived behind the disabled train, allowing them to continue north. The transfer left travellers from two full services sharing a single train, causing severe overcrowding.
The faulty Intercity Express remained at Veyangoda. To assist passengers waiting there and at stations further up the line, the Railway Department ran a replacement service from Veyangoda to Kankesanthurai at 10.30 a.m.
The disruption hit one of the Northern Line’s busiest services on a peak travel day. Poya holidays typically drive heavy demand on long-distance routes as people travel to hometowns and religious sites, and reserved-seat intercity services sell out well in advance.
The KKS Intercity has had an unsettled few weeks. The Railway Department cut the service from daily operation to four days a week in early July, citing a shortage of the power sets required to run it, before restoring daily operations from July 14 following trade union pressure. Under the reduced timetable, the overnight Night Mail had been left as the only option for northbound passengers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The Railway Department has not said what caused Wednesday’s fault or when the affected train would return to service.
