The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Association has alleged that train services on the Up-country Line resumed without approval from the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), hours after the first office train to run on the restored line derailed on Monday morning.
Association General Secretary Kasun Chamara Jayasekara said the Railway Department should carry out a fresh assessment of the line before services continue, particularly because warnings had reportedly been issued about possible earth slips and rock falls at two other locations, Daily Mirror reported.
“We request the department to reinvestigate and look into the matters properly prior to starting train services, without endangering the lives of passengers,” Jayasekara said.
The derailment behind the warning
The train left Peradeniya for Colombo Fort at about 4.35 a.m. and derailed after earth and rocks fell onto the track. Daily Mirror reports that the engine and one carriage left the rails, and that the driver was reportedly unable to see the obstruction clearly.
Stranded passengers were routed to the Kadigamuwa bus road and travelled by bus to Rambukkana, after which the Railway Department laid on an additional train from Rambukkana to Colombo. NewsFirst reported services between Rambukkana and Peradeniya were suspended while re-railing went ahead, quoting Railways Spokesperson Asanka Samarasinghe.
Services were later restored once re-railing was complete, with the Railway Department saying operations were running as usual.
A claim that sits against earlier reporting
The union’s allegation is in direct tension with the account given when the line reopened on 2 October after a near 10-month closure caused by Cyclone Ditwah, when the NBRO was reported to have certified the track as safe. Repairs covered 103 damaged locations between Rambukkana and Gampola.
Neither account reconciles the two positions. The Railway Department has not publicly responded to the union’s claim, and the NBRO has not commented.
Not reported
No outlet reports whether the NBRO issued any clearance for the 2 October reopening, which two locations are said to be at risk, or whether any fresh assessment has been ordered.
