Passenger train services on the up-country railway line from Nanu Oya to Badulla, disrupted since Cyclone Ditwah late last year, will resume from Saturday, June 20, Ada Derana reported on Wednesday evening.
The Chair of the Nuwara Eliya District Coordination Committee, Member of Parliament Manjula Suraweera Arachchi, disclosed the resumption date during a discussion held on Wednesday over shortcomings at the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) depot in Hatton. Up-country railway operations are currently limited to Badulla and Ambewela because of damage along intervening sections of the alignment.
Suraweera Arachchi said restoration work on the remaining damaged sections of the line is being carried out at a rapid pace. Full passenger services from Nawalapitiya to Badulla — the full up-country main line — are expected to resume from September this year, he said.
The cyclone in November cut multiple sections of the up-country line and the Kandy–Colombo trunk route, which Sri Lanka Railways now expects to reopen only by the end of 2026. The Northern Line was the first major restoration of the post-Ditwah recovery cycle, resuming earlier this year, and the staged reopening of the up-country segments now extends the recovery into the higher-elevation tea region. Saturday’s resumption restores commuter and tourist connections to Bandarawela, Ella and Demodara — among the busiest segments for inbound foreign visitors travelling up from Kandy.
Update — June 19: Sri Lanka Railways confirms four daily services from Saturday
Sri Lanka Railways on Friday confirmed that train operations on the Badulla–Nanu Oya section will resume the next day, following the completion of reconstruction work on the Nanu Oya–Ambewela line damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, NewsFirst reported. Four trains will run daily between Badulla and Nanu Oya from Saturday, the railway operator said. Deputy Tourism Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe said the resumption will also allow the train that had been stranded at Nanu Oya since the cyclone to return to service.
Update — June 20: Services resume; Rambukkana–Kandy renovation targeted this year
Train services between Badulla and Nanu Oya resumed on Saturday as planned, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said. Four train trips will operate daily on the segment, the minister told NewsFirst. Rathnayake added that plans are in place to complete the renovation work on the Rambukkana–Kandy railway line — another segment damaged by the cyclone — within this year.
The flagship ‘Podi Menike’ train made its return run from Nanu Oya to Badulla after religious observances held at the Nanu Oya Railway Station at 9.00 a.m. on Saturday, Ada Derana and Newswire reported. The seven-month suspension followed a landslide on the railway line in the Parakumpura area between Ambewela and Nanu Oya; restoration was carried out by railway engineers and workers in coordination with the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and a private contractor. Member of Parliament Manjula Suraweera Arachchi and Upper District Railway Executive Engineer Dhanushka attended the resumption event.
Sources: Up-country train services from Nanu Oya to Badulla to resume on Saturday — Ada Derana, June 17; Badulla–Nanu Oya Train Services To Resume Tomorrow — NewsFirst, June 19; Badulla–Nanu Oya Train Services Resume Today — NewsFirst, June 20; ‘Podi Menike’ train resumes Nanu Oya-Badulla journey after 7 months — Ada Derana, June 20; Badulla–Nanu Oya train services resume after restoration work — Newswire, June 20.
