The engine of the daily express train operating from Maradana to Hikkaduwa derailed at Maradana Railway Station on Sunday evening (May 24), blocking one of the rail tracks between Maradana and Colombo Fort.
According to Sri Lanka Railways, the incident occurred when the engine was moving from the railway yard towards the coaches stationed at Maradana Railway Station. The derailment took place near the Maradana bridge.
Four wheels of the engine came off the rails, leading to the closure of one of the two parallel tracks on the busy Maradana–Colombo Fort stretch. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Railway workers were deployed to the site immediately and began work to lift the engine, clear the affected track and restore normal train operations on the corridor.
The Maradana–Colombo Fort section is one of the busiest segments of the Sri Lankan rail network, carrying intercity services to the Southern, Main, Puttalam and Kelani Valley lines as well as the Colombo suburban network.
Sunday evening’s derailment is the latest in a string of rail incidents this year. The “Sagarika” intercity service derailed near Wadduwa on April 24 and then a second time at Kompannavidiya the following day, while a separate train derailed near Dematagoda on May 4.
The government has launched a series of railway modernisation initiatives, including a Rs. 2.1 billion ADB-funded upgrade of Colombo Fort station, a private-sector renovation of Maradana Railway Station by Akbar Brothers and the planned Colombo suburban electric railway scheduled for 2027.
Sources: Ada Derana.
