Transportation
Rail Travel
The Sri Lanka Government Railway has a well-developed network servicing all important cities and tourist destinations in the country. The three main lines are from Colombo to Matara which follows the contour of the west coast, The Main Line from Colombo to Badulla via Nanu Oya with a line branching off to Kandy and The Northern Line to Anuradhapura.
There are three classes on the Sri Lankan Railway - 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Apart from night mail trains which have sleeperette with fold down benches third class only has benches. 2nd class has padded seats and sleeperettes. There are three types of 1st class –a/c coaches, a/c observation saloons which have large windows and a/c sleeping berths.
Reservation can only be made on first class, the Inter-city Express or in 2nd class on the Ruhunu Express from Colombo to Matara up to a maximum of ten days before the journey. A return ticket can be booked up to a maximum of fourteen days before.
For Information and Reservations: Railway Information Centre, Ban-daranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Ph: 0315-260. Open daily from 0800 to 1630 hrs (except 1200 to 1300 hrs). Station superintendent Fort Railway Station, Colombo, Ph.421281 Ext. 462.
Intercity Express Train
Colombo Fort to Kandy - Rs. 72.00 Kandy to Colombo Fort - Rs. 72.00
Passengers purchasing tickets on cash are entitled to the concession of paying Rs. 108.00 for a return journey, valid for period of 10 days or less. Special Reservations: Reserved compartments are provided to parties whenever possible on prior application to the Commercial Superintendent, Sri Lanka Railways, Colombo 10, on payment of a reservation charge of Rs. 15.00 per seat and Rs. 12.00 per third class seat. Individual seats cannot be reserved.
Break of Journey: Passengers travelling over 80 kilometers are provided with the facility to break journey at anyone intermediate station for 24 hours. However, reservations for the resumed journey will have to be made afresh and paid for.
This page: http://www.cockatoo.com/english/srilanka/srilanka_transport_rail.htm
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