The Ministry of Transport has confirmed that 1,500 extra SLTB buses are operating around the clock from Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center and Pettah Central Bus Stand for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period, with return services scheduled for April 16–21.
Train routes and extensions
Special train services are running until April 19 on key long-distance routes: Colombo Fort–Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura–Kankesanthurai, Maradana–Matara, and Maradana–Beliatta. The Rajarata Rejini service, which normally operates the Beliatta–Maho route, has been extended to Anuradhapura for the festive period.
The Colombo–Kandy special bus service launched earlier this week continues to fill the gap left by railway disruptions from Cyclone Ditwah.
Passenger monitoring in place
NTC Director General Nilan Miranda confirmed that a passenger monitoring programme is active across all services. Travellers experiencing overcharging or service issues can lodge complaints via the 1955 hotline.
The deployment follows the Makumbura terminal handling 55,000 passengers during the initial festive travel rush, with authorities expecting similar volumes for return journeys later this week.
