FAQ
Sri Lanka Railway Online seats booking
FAQ
Sri Lanka Railway
Online seat booking

FAQ


1. What type of reservations can I make on Sri Lanka Railways Trains ?
  • Observation
  • Air-conditioned Saloon
  • 2nd class
  • 3rd class
2. On which trains can I reserve tickets through this service ?
Intercity, express and slow trains
  • Colombo Fort - Beliatta
  • Colombo Fort - Jaffna
  • Colombo Fort - Kandy
  • Colombo Fort - Badulla
  • Colombo Fort - Trincomalee
  • Colombo Fort - Batticaloa
  • Colombo Fort - Talaimannar
  • Kandy - Badulla
  • Kandy – Ella
3. How many numbers of seats can be booked one time ?

Maximum five 5 seats can be book at a given instance

4. Can I reserve 'Return' tickets ?

You may reserve tickets for both ways, when you make the purchase. Use the toggle switch provided on the website to enable or disable return ticket requirement.
5. If I have selected return journey and the same number of passengers are not returning how can I change the passenger count ?

You will have to make a separate reservation for the return tickets if the number of passengers are changed.
6. What if my onboarding location (station) is different in the return ticket ?

You have to make a separate reservation for your return journey.
7. How can I know the stopping stations of the train which I am intending to make a reservation ?

Please click Train timetable tab and visit https://eservices.railway.gov.lk/schedule/searchTrain.action?lang=en

8. What is the minimum time period to make an advance reservation ?

You can make an advance reservation via online 2 hours prior to the train departure time.
9. How many days ahead can I make a reservation ?

You can make an advance reservation 30 days prior from the date of travel.
10. Why am I supposed to provide a valid and accessible email address and mobile number ?

Because all communications related to the ticket reservations will only be communicated via the given email and mobile number.Further ticket information will be sent to local mobile numbers only.
11. Do I need to enter all passengers NIC/Passport number details ?

Yes, else you will not be able complete the reservation.
12. Can I select seats according to my preference ?

No, you cannot make selections, your seat will automatically be allocated according to the availability.
13. Why am I getting this message " Sorry, you cannot book online as there are no seats available on the date you searched. You may check with mTicketing service enabled railway station or please select another date and search again " ?

Reasons why you would get the above message

  • Non availability of seats on the selected date
  • Non availability of train(s) on the selected date
  • No seats available to reserve online

So, you can do followings as a solution

  • Reallocate the number of passengers with less passengers and search again
  • Check the train timetable whether trains are available on the selected date
  • Change the From/To station and search again
  • Check with mTicketing service enabled railway station
14. Do I need to pay for full destination charges even though if I make the booking before the destination ?
( Eg: Colombo to Badulla train and I'm expecting to get down / getting in from Nanuoya )

You will have to pay the required amounts as per ticket prices despite the exit/ onboarding station.
15. Which stage the ticket reservation will be confirmed ?

Tickets are confirmed only after successful payment confirmation until then, your seat will not be confirmed. You may want to retry in case if the payment transaction is not completed successfully. Further, due to high demand, your allocated seat might get reserved by another passenger, if you have not reached to the payment stage (payment gateway) and also failing to complete the payment within the given time period.

16. How can I get a physical ticket for online reservation ?

Tickets can be printed at mTicketing service enabled station counters (Please click Ticket printing locations tab). You need provide your ticket reference number along with your NIC or passport.

17. What are the documents I have to produce to collect the ticket ?

Ticket needs to be reserved under your NIC/Passport number and you have to produce NIC or passport to the counter. Tickets will not be issued to 3rd parties.

18. Is there any specific time to collect the ticket ?

Yes, to get ticket counter opening times, please click Ticket printing locations tab.

19. If there are more than one reservation, can any passenger collect the ticket on behalf of others ?

Yes, subjected to the same process mention in point 16.
20. Can I use eTicket instead of physical ticket ?

No, you need to have the physical ticket and you can’t travel with an eTicket.
21. Can I transfer the ticket which is made under my NIC/passport ?

No, tickets are non-transferable.
22. What if I lost the physical ticket ?

A new ticket will not be issue if misplaced.
23. What happens if a train that I have reserved tickets for gets cancelled ?

You will get the refund (excluding service charge) by producing the ticket to mTicketing service enabled station counter, the ticket needs to be reserved under your NIC/Passport to claim the refund.
24. Who should I contact in case of an issue with ticket reservations ?

You may contact Sri Lanka Railways through the contact us option on the website or the contact information provided on the website.
25. Can I cancel my already reserved ticket ?

You can cancel the ticket by visiting mTicketing service enabled railway station as mentioned below.
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%
26. How do I pay for ticket reservations ?

Payments can be made by LankaQR and Credit/Debit cards by using Visa or MasterCard.
27. Are there any additional charges when I purchase tickets online ?

A 5% convenience fee will be charged from the total amount.
28. Do I get a receipt as proof of payment ?

You will receive a payment confirmation email along with the success response on the website/ mobile app once you have completed the reservation.
29. How will I receive a confirmation on my ticket bookings ?

Upon successful completion of the reservation, ticket confirmation will be emailed to you along with the travel information.Additionally, an SMS will also be sent to your mobile number.
30. What should I do if my card got deducted but the ticket reservation was not made ?

You may lodge a complaint under the 'Contact Us' section in the website by mentioning the dispute type as 'Payment issue' in the subject dropdown menu.

Below details should be mentioned in the message :

  • Customer Name
  • Mobile Number
  • Location
  • Date & Time
  • Reference Number
  • Last 4 digits of the card used for payment
  • Email Address
31. What if I have given invalid email address ?

Unfortunately, you won’t get ticket confirmation and journey information even though payment is successful via an email. Therefore, kindly ensure that you provide a valid email ID when reserving tickets online. But if you have given a valid local mobile number, you will receive ticket information via an SMS.
32. Can I make reservation for government warrants and pension warrants ?

No, you cannot make online reservation for government warrants and pension warrants.

FAQ for Mastercard Promotion


1. What is Sri Lank Railways Online Reservation?
As the technology partner for Sri Lanka Railways for over a decade, SLT-MOBITEL together with Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) marked a significant milestone on March 21, 2022 by launching of the online seat reservation web portal and mobile app for commuters. Customers can use https://seatreservation.railway.gov.lk/ to book Railway tickets conveniently.
2. What is the benefit mCash customer receive from this Offer?
10 selected Customers will get weekly 100% Cash back up to 10,000 who made reservations using Mastercard in Sri lanka Railways website & Railway Mobile App. These customers will be selected randomly and will be rewarded on a weekly basis.
3. How will the customers be notified regarding the offer?

Once the customer is selected a SMS will be sent to selected customers along with the 100% Cashback.

4. How long it takes the cashback to reflect in customers account?

The cashback will be reflected in customers in 7 Working days from the SMS received date.
5. Does this offer valid only for Local Mastercards?

Yes. This offer is only valid for Local cards.
6. Is this offer only valid for SLT-Mobitel Customers?

No. Irrespective of the network this offer is valid for all network customers.
7. Will I get cashback if I made reservation for Rs 15,000?
Yes, but customers will only get 10,000 since the maximum cashback value is Limited to Rs 10,000.
8. Will I get Cashback multiple times?

No. Cashback will be only provided one time for a single customer during the campaign period.
9. Will the app customer eligible for the Promotion?
Yes. App customers also will be considered
10. 10. Is this a limited time offer?
Yes, this is a limited time offer & can be discontinued any time.

FAQ - 15% Cashback for Sri Lanka Railway payments via LANKAQR using mCash


1. What is Sri Lank Railways Online Reservation Platform?
Customers can use https://seatreservation.railway.gov.lk/ to reserve train tickets conveniently using the online platform.
2. What is the benefit mCash customer receive from this Offer?
All mCash customer will receive 15% Cashback up to Rs 500 for LANKAQR payments done via mCash. Multiple transactions are allowed.
Max Cashback: Rs. 500 per customer / per month (Cumulative on multiple transactions)
3. How will the customers be notified regarding the offer?

Once the customer makes the payment customer will be notified in few minutes via SMS along with the cashback.

4. How can customers make the payment via mCash?

Customer should follow below steps
Step 01 - Logs into https://seatreservation.railway.gov.lk/ website
Step 02 - Select the destination and enter passenger details
Step 03 - Select LANKAQR as payment type
Step 01 - Logs into mCash app
Step 02 - Selects the LANKAQR icon in the App
Step 03 - Scan the LANKAQR that pop ups in the Sri Lanka website
Step 03 - Enter submit to proceed with the payments
5. How long it takes the cashback to reflect in customers account?

Cashback will be received within 30 minutes from the transaction time.

6. Is this offer valid only for mCash customers?

Yes, this offer is only valid for mCash customers.

7. Is this offer only valid for SLT-Mobitel Customers?
Yes, Only SLT-Mobitel mobile customers are allowed to create mCash accounts.
8. Will I get cashback if I made reservation multiple times?

Yes. Customers will be getting the cashback until he/she reaches up to a maximum of Rs 500.

9. Will the app customer eligible for the Promotion?
Only app customers will be getting the cashback who scan and pays using mCash app.
10. Is this a limited time offer?
*Offer is valid until 31st December 2022
11. Other applicable conditions?
• This offer cannot be combined with any other existing offers.
• In the event of a train/ticket cancellation, offer chances used will not be revived.
• *SLT-Mobitel reserves the right to withdraw all or any of the rules applicable to the offer at any time at its sole discretion without prior notice.
• General terms and conditions of mCash, Sri Lanka Railway and SLT-Mobitel will apply.