History

Rail was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1864 to transport coffee from plantations in the hill country district of Kandy to the port city of Colombo on its way to Europe and the world market. The coffee blight of 1871 destroyed many a fine plantation and tea replaced coffee. With the development of tea plantations in the 1880s, the joint-stock companies swallowed up the former individual proprietorship of the coffee era. Under corporate ownership and management control by companies, the process of production of tea became more sophisticated and needed more and more railways built to the Kandyan highlands. To send tea to Colombo and to transport labour, machinery, manure, rice, and foodstuff, etc to Kandy, another 100 miles of railways were constructed in the tea planting districts to serve the expanding tea domain.

To serve the coconut plantations flourishing in the west, southwest and northwest coastal areas of the country, and the wet inland rubber plantations below the tea belt, railway lines were built in the wake of these agricultural developments. Thereafter, the need for cheap and safe travel in order to open up the hinterland of the country led to the expansion of the railway.

An extension of the Main Line to Kandy was made north to the ancient city of Anuradhapura, going further north to Kankesanturai and west to Talaimannar to connect the island with South India by ferry, to bring Indian labour for the tea and rubber plantations, and also import rice and other food stuffs not indigenously produced in sufficient quantities.

Towards the east, there was little economic justification to lay a line to the dry zone in that direction, but it became strategically worthwhile to lay a line to the natural harbour of Trincomalee and also connect it to the provincial capital of Batticaloa. These lines were laid with light (21 kg) section rails, as was the narrow gauge section to serve the rubber plantations east of Colombo, known as the Kelani Valley Line.

Up country, a similar branch line was laid from Nanu Oya on the Main Line through very difficult terrain to serve the tea plantations around Nuwara Eliya. Track alignment was defined in this section about 140 years ago, when economic considerations were vastly different. The railways achieved modal superiority with speeds of 25 to 40 kmph in the hill country and 65 to 80 in the low country. Civil engineering criteria was influenced by the economic need to minimize cuts and fills, permitting gradients to 2 to 3 % and minimizing bridge lengths. As a result, the alignment here is winding with very sharp curves.

In the early days of the railways, the bulk of the freight was carried to the port of Colombo and as the port expanded, rail lines were laid to serve every pier.

Our Services

Colombo Fort - Beliatta

Intercity & Express trains

Available class types : 1st ,2nd and 3rd
Colombo Fort - Jaffna

Intercity, Express & Night mail trains

Available class types : 1st ,2nd and 3rd
Colombo Fort - Kandy

Intercity & Express trains

Available class types : 1st ,2nd, 3rd and observations saloon
Colombo Fort - Badulla

Intercity & Express trains

Available class types : 1st ,2nd, 3rd and observations saloon
Colombo Fort - Trincomalee

Night mail train

Available class types : 2nd and 3rd
Colombo Fort - Batticaloa

Intercity, Express & Night mail trains

Available class types : 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Colombo Fort - Talaimannar

Night mail train

Available class types : 2nd class
Kandy - Badulla

Slow train

Available class types : Observations saloon

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Terms & Conditions


GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLICABLE FOR USE OF THE ONLINE SEAT RESERVATION SERVICE OF SRI LANKA RAILWAYS.

01 . Prior to making a reservation through the Service, you are strongly advised to be vigilant of the following guidelines and comply with the same;
  • Select the correct train for your journey.
  • Fix a convenient date for both up & down journeys.
  • Ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the rates applicable.
  • Maximum of 5 seats could be reserved at once.
  • Standard customer verification and other terms and conditions would apply.
  • NIC numbers of each and every passenger except "DEPENDENT" should be furnished.
  • E-Ticket and other details will be sent via email to commuters who make the reservation via website and/or mobile app.
  • A reservation only becomes guaranteed once full payment has been received by Sri Lanka Railways.
  • The reserved tickets could be used only for specified trains.
  • Travelling on any other trains by using these types of tickets are strictly prohibited. An ordinary travelling ticket should be purchased for travelling to a transits station to catch a reserved train.
  • All tickets issued through the Service are the property of Sri Lanka Railways. Tickets are non-transferable and should be handed over to the destination station before leaving the station after the journey. Sri Lanka Railways officers have the authority to request and check the tickets at any given moment
PAYMENT METHODS

You should use a valid VISA or Master Credit/ Debit card when making online reservations through the internet.

Debit/Credit Card, Bank Account Details:

You agree that the debit/credit card details provided by you for use of the Sri Lanka Railways online seat reservation service is correct and accurate and you shall not use a Debit/ credit card, that is not lawfully owned by you or the use of which is not authorized by the lawful owner thereof. You further agree and undertake to provide correct and valid debit/credit card details.

You agree, understand and confirm that your personal data including without limitation details relating to debit card/ credit card transmitted over the Internet may be susceptible to misuse, hacking, theft and/ or fraud and the Sri Lanka Railways or your Payment Service Provider(s) have no control over such matters.

The Sri Lanka Railways (including its service providers and suppliers), the Payment Service Provider(s) and its affiliates and associates shall not be liable, at any time, for any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration of, or use of information contained on the Website.

You warrant, agree and confirm the following when you initiate a payment transaction through the Service and/or issue an online payment instruction and/or provide your card / bank details:

  • You are fully and lawfully entitled to use such credit / debit card, bank account for such transactions.
  • You are responsible to ensure that the card/ bank account details provided by you are accurate.
  • You authorize debit of the nominated card/ bank account for the payment of fees selected by you.
  • You are responsible to ensure that sufficient credit is available on the nominated card/ bank account at the time of making the payment to permit the payment of the dues payable or fees selected by you.

You are responsible for all transactions performed utilizing your credit/debit card and/or bank account.

Server Slow Down/Session Timeout: In case the Website or Payment Service Provider’s webpage, that is linked to the Website, is experiencing any server related issues like 'slow down' or 'failure' or 'session timeout', you shall, before initiating the second payment, check whether your bank account has been debited or not and accordingly resort to one of the following options:

  • In case the bank account appears to be debited, ensure that you do not make the payment twice and immediately thereafter contact the Sri Lanka Railways via e-mail or any other mode of contact as provided by the Sri Lanka Railways to confirm payment.
  • In case the Bank Account is not debited, you may initiate a fresh transaction to make payment.
  • However, you agree that under no circumstances the Payment Gateway Service Provider shall be held responsible for such fraudulent/duplicate transactions and hence no claims should be raised to Payment Gateway Service Provider. No communication received by the Payment Service Provider(s) in this regards shall be entertained by the Payment Service Provider(s).
02. Cancellation policy
  • If you wish to cancel the journey, you have to visit the nearest Railway station where the mTicketing service is available together with the E-Tickets issued to you and it is a mandatory requirement to provide your NIC/passport to the counter for verification purpose.
  • Fill the appropriate application supplied carefully.
  • Refund percentage will be calculated according to the below table exclusive of service charge.
  • Cancellation can be done according to the below mentioned time periods prior to relevant train departure.
  • Number hours to the train departure time
    More than 168 hours (7 days +) Less than 168 hours but more than 48 hours ( 2 days > 7 days) Less than 48 hours ( less than 2 days)
    Refund percentage (%) from the ticket fee 75% 50% 0%
03. Refund policy
  • Refunds will be available only for the particular train (journey) which has been completely unavailable due to an interruption.
  • Only the ticket fee will be refunded and service charge will not be refunded.
  • Refunds can be claimed only on mTicketing service available stations (please click here)
04. Liability clause

SLR shall not be held liable for any damages; loss or theft of personal luggage and belongings, nor can SLR be held liable for personal injury, accident, illness or death while guests are on an excursion made available by the train.

SLR shall also not be held responsible, when circumstances beyond its control lead to an interruption, early termination, delay or cancellation of any particular trip. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to instances of vis major/force majeure and/or casus fortuitus (natural causes such as floods and other natural disasters, fortuitous and unforeseen events, etc.).

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Sri Lanka Railways and its mTicketing Service Provider] shall not be liable to you and/or to any third party for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental and/or punitive damages, lost profit, lost revenue, mental distress, inconvenience, hardship, loss/corruption or destruction of data and/or the like. Sri Lanka Railways and its mTicketing Service Provider are not liable for any claims, loss and/or damage suffered by any person due to fraudulent use of that person’s debit/credit card and/or for refunding any payments made through such debit/credit card. Sri Lanka Railways’ and its mTicketing Service Provider’s liability is excluded and limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

You shall indemnify and hold harmless Sri Lanka Railways, its mTicketing Service Provider and their respective employees and directors from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, liabilities, demands, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses, arising out of and/or in any way connected with your use of the Services and/or arising from your breach of any representation, warranty, terms and/or conditions specified herein.

05. CHILD POLICY

Children from the age of 3 (three) years and younger sharing a seat with their parents travel free of charge (maximum of 1 (one)child per adult). Due to space constraints, SLR will not be able to accommodate any additional seat(s) to accommodate the infant / children. Children will have to share the seat with their parents / guardians. Should this pose a problem, SLR recommends that the guests book an additional seat for the children (in which case the children's rate does not apply and the standard adult rate for the seat shall apply). Children from the age of 3 (three) years and older pay full adult rates. SLR does not serve or provide special meals for children and/ or infants or adults. Children should be kept under strict adult supervision by their parents/ guardians and should not inconvenience other guests.

06. DANGEROUS GOODS

For safety reasons, no guest is allowed to bring dangerous goods such as firearms, flammable substances, and fireworks, poisonous or toxic substances on board.

07. PETS

No pets are allowed onboard.

08. LUGGAGE

Each adult passenger will be allowed, to bring on board their luggage, free of charge as per SLR’s general regulation. (Refer to general commercial rules set out below. For any enquiries meet a railway office.) The commuters will have to store luggage in the Luggage cabin by themselves. Luggage/baggage stored in the Luggage cabin is subject to availability. SLR would not provide additional space to accommodate their luggage. Heavy luggage is exclusively prohibited as little space available for commuters to store their luggage.

As per general commercial rules of SLR, followings are the limitations applicable on free luggage based on the type of ticket.

  • First Class tickets holder : 40 Kg.
  • Second Class tickets holder : 35 Kg.
  • Third Class tickets holder : 25 Kg.

Passengers are strictly recommended to ensure that their luggage is(are) securely locked. SLR is not responsible for any stolen or lost luggage.

09. General

You agree that Sri Lanka Railways at its sole discretion may revise the Terms and Conditions herein at any time without assigning any reasons therefore and you agree to be bound by all such revisions made by Sri Lanka Railways from time to time. It is your responsibility to periodically review the latest version of the Terms and Conditions uploaded at http://www.railway.gov.lk/ to stay informed of updates.

The SLR retains the right to suspend or terminate this Service at any time without any notice to you.

Passengers must provide the booking reference number along with their NIC or passport to the counter and Tickets will not be issued to 3rd party for any reason.

10. GOVERNING LAWS

These terms and conditions and the Service shall be subject to and construed in accordance with the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and all disputes pertaining thereto shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Sri Lanka.

Any enquiries or complaints should be forwarded in writing to the Deputy General Manager (commercial) - Sri Lanka Railways Headquarters, Colombo-10.




GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLICABLE FOR USE OF THE ONLINE E-WARRANT SEAT RESERVATION SERVICE OF SRI LANKA RAILWAYS.

01 . Prior to making a reservation through the Service, you are strongly advised to be vigilant of the following guidelines and comply with the same;

  1. Please note that the reservation you make through the online seat reservation service by using your warrant will only be reserved as a temporary reservation and you need to visit a mTicketing enabled station and produce your physical warrant and temporary reservation confirmation within the stipulated time frame in order to have the temporary reservation confirmed.

  2. You can make a temporary reservation for the warrant through the online seat reservation service provided you have met all the qualification to obtain a warrant document and the government organization of which you are employed shall also be responsible to issue the warrant according to rules and regulations of the Railway Department. Further, if there are any deficiencies in the written physical warrant document, the warrant holder shall be responsible to have the deficiencies corrected prior to making the online temporary reservation.

  3. Warrant holder shall be responsible to enter the correct information to the online reservation system and the Department of Railways shall not be responsible for any mistake that warrant holder makes during the data entry process.

  4. The temporary warrant reservation will be cancelled within 07 days from the date of the temporary reservation or 48 hours prior to the commencement of the respective train journey, whichever occurs first. (Reservation are available to be made through this method only if the reservation is done at least 04 days (96 hours) before the scheduled train departure.) Therefore, it is the passenger's responsibility to confirm the reservation and get the ticket reserved under the warrant by presenting the correct warrant document to a mTicketing enabled railway station before the said deadline. The tickets/reservations that failed to be confirmed will be released-back into the system and if the warrant holder fails to confirm temporary reservation after such cases and/ or two cases mentioned in the point number 5 below, the warrant holder’s national identity card number and the mobile number will be blacklisted accordingly, and the concerned warrant holder will be temporarily deprived of the ability to reserve seats through the online reservation system and disciplinary action will be taken.

  5. If the submitted warrant document is not correct or if there is any defect, it will be rejected by the station master. The temporally reserved seats which fail to produce the correct written warrant document within the stipulated period will be released back into the system and after such cases and/ or 02 cases mentioned in the point number 4, the warrant holder's National Identity Card number and telephone number will be blacklisted. Accordingly, the warrant holder will temporarily lose the ability to make reservations using the online reservation platform. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the warrant holder to make reservations using a properly completed and correct warrant document and present the same document to the station master. Rejected warrant documents will not be returned to its owner and will be kept in the possession of Station Master and an intimation to that effect will be given. The warrant document thus retained will be sent to the institution that issued the relevant warrant document through the official channel.

  6. Only the warrant holder can personally make a reservation through the online reservation platform and accordingly, warrant holder can reserve the warrant reservations for any family member who is eligible for the warrants via online reservation and only the warrant holder should do the reservation.

  7. Service charges are not applicable for warrant reservations.

  8. Currently, maximum of 5 persons including the warrant holder can reserve the warrant reservations under the one warrant document via online reservation platform. If any warrant holder needs to make a reservation for more than 5 persons, the warrant holder can make the reservation from any online reservation facility enabled railway station.

  9. In availing this facility, you should act in compliance with the provisions laid down in Chapter XIII and Chapter XVI of the Establishment Code and subsequent and future amendments thereto issued by the Ministry of Public Administration from time to time in relation to allotment of seats using warrant documents and the circulars issued. Those who do not follow these circulars and codes will be treated as having committed an undisciplined act.

  10. Even if the system gives the opportunity to reserve seats temporarily, you who intend to reserve train seats using this system should have carefully read and understood all the provisions of the Establishment Code as well as all the circulars and terms and conditions issued in this regard and act accordingly.

  11. You must also possess a correct and faultless warrant document issued by your organization in respect of your journey at the time of commencing the online seat reservation process.

  12. You should visit a railway station which has the facility for online seat reservation using official warrant documents (i.e. mTicketing enabled station) in order to reserve or confirm your temporary reservation.

  13. In the case of temporary reservation of seats by a warrant holder using his warrant document via online platform, in addition to the conditions mentioned above, the rules, terms and conditions issued in connection with the issuance of tickets through the online platform shall apply as appropriate subject to the provisions of the Railway Ordinance.

  14. Select the correct train for your journey.

  15. Ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the rates applicable.

  16. Standard customer verification and other terms and conditions would apply.

  17. NIC numbers of each and every passenger except "DEPENDENT" should be furnished.

  18. A reference number along with the details of the temporary reservation will be sent via an email/SMS to commuters.

  19. Passengers must provide the booking reference number along with their NIC and warrant in person at the Station Counter and ticket will not be issued to any third party.

  20. A reservation only becomes guaranteed once valid and correct warrant has been received and accepted by Sri Lanka Railways.

  21. No fresh tickets will be issued in lieu of misplaced or lost tickets.

  22. The reserved tickets could be used only for specified trains

  23. Travelling on any other trains by using these types of tickets are strictly prohibited. An ordinary travelling ticket should be purchased for travelling to a transits station to catch a reserved train.

  24. All tickets issued through the Service are the property of Sri Lanka Railways. Tickets are nontransferable and should be handed over to the destination station before leaving the station after the journey. Sri Lanka Railways officers have the authority to request and check the tickets at any given moment.

02. Cancellation policy

If you wish to cancel the journey, you have to visit the nearest Railway station where the mTicketing service is available together with reservation tickets issued to you and it is a mandatory requirement to provide your NIC/passport to the counter for verification purpose. Fill the appropriate application supplied carefully.

Cancellation of a ticket will be made in accordance with the departmental policies in force at the time of request.

03. LIABILITY CLAUSE

SLR shall not be held liable for any damages; loss or theft of personal luggage and belongings, nor can SLR be held liable for personal injury, accident, illness or death while guests are on an excursion made available by the train.

SLR shall also not be held responsible, when circumstances beyond its control lead to an interruption, early termination, delay or cancellation of any particular trip. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to instances of vis major/force majeure and/or casus fortuitus (natural causes such as floods and other natural disasters, fortuitous and unforeseen events, etc.).

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Sri Lanka Railways and its mTicketing Service Provider] shall not be liable to you and/or to any third party for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental and/or punitive damages, lost profit, lost revenue, mental distress, inconvenience, hardship, loss/corruption or destruction of data and/or the like. Sri Lanka Railways and its mTicketing Service Provider are not liable for any claims, loss and/or damage suffered by any person due to fraudulent use of that person’s debit/credit card and/or for refunding any payments made through such debit/credit card. Sri Lanka Railways’ and its mTicketing Service Provider’s liability is excluded and limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

You shall indemnify and hold harmless Sri Lanka Railways, its mTicketing Service Provider and their respective employees and directors from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, liabilities, demands, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses, arising out of and/or in any way connected with your use of the Services and/or arising from your breach of any representation, warranty, terms and/or conditions specified herein.

04. CHILD POLICY

Children from the age of 3 (three) years and younger sharing a seat with their parents travel free of charge (maximum of 1 (one)child per adult). Due to space constraints, SLR will not be able to accommodate any additional seat(s) to accommodate the infant / children. Children will have to share the seat with their parents / guardians. Should this pose a problem, SLR recommends that the guests book an additional seat for the children (in which case the children's rate does not apply and the standard adult rate for the seat shall apply). Children from the age of 3 (three) years and older pay full adult rates. SLR does notserve or provide special mealsfor children and/ or infants or adults. Children should be kept under strict adult supervision by their parents/ guardians and should not inconvenience other guests.

05. DANGEROUS GOODS

For safety reasons, no guest is allowed to bring dangerous goods such as firearms, flammable substances, and fireworks, poisonous or toxic substances on board.

06. PETS

No pets are allowed onboard.

07. LUGGAGE

Each adult passenger will be allowed, to bring on board their luggage, free of charge as per SLR’s general regulation. (Refer to general commercial rulesset out below. For any enquiries meet a railway office.) The commuters will have to store luggage in the Luggage cabin by themselves. Luggage/baggage stored in the Luggage cabin is subject to availability. SLR would not provide additional space to accommodate their luggage. Heavy luggage is exclusively prohibited as little space available for commuters to store their luggage.

As per general commercial rules of SLR, followings are the limitations applicable on free luggage based on the type of ticket.

First Class tickets holder : 40 Kg.

Second Class tickets holder : 35 Kg.

Third Class tickets holder : 25 Kg.

Passengers are strictly recommended to ensure that their luggage is(are) securely locked. SLR is not responsible for any stolen or lost luggage.

08. GENERAL

You agree that Sri Lanka Railways at its sole discretion may revise the Terms and Conditions herein at any time without assigning any reasons therefore and you agree to be bound by all such revisions made by Sri Lanka Railways from time to time. It is your responsibility to periodically review the latest version of the Terms and Conditions uploaded at http://www.railway.gov.lk/ to stay informed of updates.

The SLR retains the right to suspend or terminate this Service at any time without any notice to you.

Passengers must provide the temporary booking reference number, warrant along with their NIC to the counter and Tickets will not be issued to 3rd party for any reason.

09. GOVERNING LAWS

These terms and conditions and the Service shall be subject to and construed in accordance with the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and all disputes pertaining thereto shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Sri Lanka.

Any enquiries or complaints should be forwarded in writing to the Deputy General Manager (commercial) - Sri Lanka Railways Headquarters, Colombo-10