Train services between Colombo Fort, Peradeniya and Gampola on the Upcountry Line will resume from October 2, Sri Lanka Railways announced on Monday, restoring a route severed by Cyclone Ditwah.

The scale of the damage

Sri Lanka Railways said 103 locations between Rambukkana and Gampola were damaged, including 36 major landslides and 67 earth slips and rock falls, with sections of track washed away.

Restoration was complicated by the Rambukkana–Kadugannawa section, the steepest gradient on the network. Crews had no alternative road access to much of the affected line, meaning repair machinery and materials had to be carried in exclusively by rail. Adverse weather added further delay.

The work was carried out by the railway’s Way and Works Department together with the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), which certified the track as safe for operations.

The restored timetable

Regular services resume from the afternoon of October 2:

Morning return services begin October 3:

The Podi Menike Express (Nos. 1005 and 1006) also returns to daily operation from October 3, leaving Colombo Fort at 5.55 a.m. for Peradeniya at 8.34 a.m. and Gampola at 9.06 a.m., with the return departing Gampola at 4.10 p.m. and reaching Colombo Fort at 7.23 p.m.

Context

The reopening is a partial restoration. Services beyond Gampola towards Badulla are not covered by Monday’s announcement, and the line to Kandy has been the subject of a separate recovery programme, with officials saying earlier this year that trains to Kandy were expected by the end of 2026 once repairs at 97 identified sites were completed.

Ada Derana also reported the resumption; its site was unreachable at the time of writing.

Sources