A train running from Peradeniya to Colombo Fort derailed early on Monday after earth and rocks fell onto the track, suspending services on the Upcountry Line three days after it reopened to Gampola.
Sri Lanka Railways Spokesperson Asanka Samarasinghe said Upcountry Line services had been temporarily suspended as a result, NewsFirst reported.
The express was scheduled to leave Peradeniya at 4.40 a.m. Soil and rocks came down onto the track reportedly because of heavy rainfall, according to Daily Mirror. Railway authorities said the service could face delays or cancellation, and that other trains running in both directions along the affected section of the Main Line were also delayed.
The outlets place it differently
The two accounts give different locations for the derailment. NewsFirst puts it between Ihala Kotte and Kadigamuwa; Daily Mirror puts it between Gangoda and Kadigamuwa. Both lie on the same stretch of line below Peradeniya, but they are distinct stations, and neither outlet reconciles the two. Daily Mirror also files the incident under the Main Line rather than the Upcountry Line.
On recently repaired track
The line had been severed for ten months by Cyclone Ditwah. Services to Peradeniya and Gampola resumed only on 2 October, after repairs to 103 damaged locations between Rambukkana and Gampola, including 36 major landslides and 67 earth slips and rock falls. The National Building Research Organisation certified the track as safe before reopening.
Restoration beyond Gampola is still under way. Engineers said last week that the Gampola–Nawalapitiya section is targeted for December, with Kandy services possible by February if the Yaka Bridge is repaired. Repairs have cost roughly Rs. 1 billion so far.
Update — 5 October, evening: services restored
Train operations on the Up-country Line were restored later the same day once re-railing of the derailed train was completed, Hiru News reported, with the Railway Department saying services were running as usual.
Later reporting also fills in several details and partly reconciles the location dispute above: Daily Mirror’s evening filing places the derailment “between Ihalakotte, Kadigamuwa and Gangoda”, naming all three stations rather than choosing between them. The engine and one carriage left the rails, and the driver was reportedly unable to see the obstruction clearly. Stranded passengers were routed to the Kadigamuwa bus road and taken by bus to Rambukkana, after which an additional train was laid on to Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Association has since alleged that services on the line resumed without NBRO clearance and called for a fresh assessment before trains continue to run.
Not reported
No outlet reports casualties or injuries, or how many passengers were aboard. None says whether the slip site is one of the 103 locations repaired in the Ditwah restoration programme.
