Sri Lanka’s largest biscuit brand Munchee sponsored free train tickets for nearly 25,000 passengers travelling to their hometowns for Avurudu on Saturday, covering all 85 train departures from Fort Railway Station in Colombo.
The initiative by CBL Group’s flagship brand aimed to ease the financial burden of holiday travel for thousands of commuters during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.
Fort Railway Station, which recently underwent a Rs. 2.1 billion upgrade funded by the Asian Development Bank, served as the launch point for the campaign. Passengers heading to destinations across the country received complimentary tickets.
The corporate-backed travel relief comes at a time when holiday budgets are under pressure. The cost of an Avurudu kevili table rose 7 percent this year, while gas price hikes and elevated food costs have squeezed household spending.
The SLTB deployed 1,490 buses and special Colombo-Kandy services for the Avurudu rush, while the Makumbura multimodal centre also provided additional transport options for outbound travellers.
