Train services from Colombo Fort to Kandy are expected to resume by the end of 2026, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena confirmed on April 27, with 92 of 97 cyclone-damaged sites already repaired to a level that supports operations.
“We still believe that by the end of this year, it will be possible to operate trains to Kandy,” Gunasena said. He noted the previously announced timeline remains unchanged.
Ninety-seven major damaged locations were identified along the main railway line between Colombo Fort and Badulla via Kandy following Cyclone Ditwah recovery efforts that have stretched across multiple ministries. The worst damage was concentrated between Colombo and Kadugannawa. Repairs at 92 of those sites have now been completed sufficiently to support train operations.
Five locations remain with significant structural damage requiring specialised technical support beyond the Department of Railways’ own capacity. The Deputy Minister said the department is working with the National Building Research Institute, railway engineers and the Survey Department to plan and carry out the remaining restorations. Construction has already begun at three of the five sites.
The upcountry main line has been a critical transport gap since the cyclone. The Department of Railways introduced a Colombo–Kandy special bus service to bridge the disruption ahead of Avurudu, while the northern line resumed earlier this month.
In an April 30 inspection update, the Deputy Minister reiterated that contracts had been awarded for reconstruction at all five remaining sites and that the worst-affected locations involved landslides, land subsidence and broken tracks beyond the Department of Railways’ own capacity to address.
