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
  • Colombo Fort - Avissavella
  • 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 ?

By Providing a valid Email Address, you will receive the E-Ticket and other journey information related to your journey. Additionally, if you wish to receive the reservation details to your Mobile, kindly provide a valid local mobile number.

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 Bandarawela)

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 ?

There is no physical ticket issued by the Station. You can use the E-Ticket received via the given email or you can home print the ticket if it is needful.

17. Can I use eTicket instead of physical ticket ?

Yes, you can use the E-Ticket and bring the printed or E version once you visit the station for the journey.

18. Can I transfer the ticket which is made under my NIC/passport ?

No, tickets are non-transferable

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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%
22. How do I pay for ticket reservations ?

Payments can be made by LankaQR and Credit/Debit cards by using Visa or MasterCard.

23. Are there any additional charges when I purchase tickets online ?

A 5% convenience fee will be charged from the total amount.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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
27. What if I have given invalid email address ?

Unfortunately, you won’t get the E-Ticket 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. (Not the ticket)

28. Can I make reservation for government warrants and pension warrants ?

Yes, please choose the Warrant Passenger tab enabled on the first page and provide your warrant details.

FAQ Warrant Holders


1. What is a Railway Warrant?

A railway warrant is a voucher issued for travel on railways for certain groups such as government employees, military personnel and retirees at free of charge. The cost of the ticket is charged to the warrant issuer's account (Government department, ministry or relevant government entity).

2. How am I eligible to be a warrant holder?

Being a government servant, Military officer or a Pensioner.

3. Who can I travel using my warrant document?

Only the warrant holder and his/her immediate family members are eligible for this benefit, and you must enter each and everyone’s details once you get the written document and temporary reservation

4. How to get a warrant document to travel?

You have to contact the government organization which you are employed to get a written warrant document.

5. How to make a reservation by using my warrant document?

You can make a temporary reservation for the warrant document through the online seat reservation service, and you have to enter the warrant details same to the written warrant document.

6. How many people can travel under one warrant pass?

In the system, you can make 5 reservations including warrant holder under the one warrant document. If the number is more than 5, please visit the nearest railway station or contact Sri Lanka Railways via 1971.

7. Do I need to enter all passengers NIC/Passport number details?

Yes. Otherwise, they won’t be able to travel under your warrant pass.

8. Who can make the warrant reservation?

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.

9. What is the validity period of my temporary reservation?

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. 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.

10. How to get confirm the temporary?

You have to visit a railway station which has the facility of online seat reservation using official warrant documents in order to confirm your temporary reservation made via the website.

11. What am I supposed to do if my written warrant is incomplete or faulty?

You have to revise your written warrant document from the respective government institution which has issued the document by providing correct details.

12. How much will I be charged when I make a reservation online for my Warrant?

Charges are not applicable for warrant reservations.

13. How to collect the ticket?

You have to visit an online seat reservation enabled station with the official warrant document and SM will issue the ticket after the validation process.

14. How can I cancel an online reservation made for my warrant?

You have to visit the nearest Railway station where the mTicketing service is available together with the reference number and the written warrant document issued to you.

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

It is a mandatory requirement to provide your NIC, reference of the online temporary reservation and the faultless written warrant document to the counter for the verification purpose.

16. Is return journey available for my warrant?

Return is not available for the warrant reservations; you will have to make a separate reservation for the return journeys.

17. What is the validity period for a warrant?

For one-way journeys, the validity period of the warrant counts as 30 days from the warrant issue date.

18. Can I use the emailed eTicket as the travel ticket.

No. You can’t use any document as a travel pass instead of the printed ticket issues from the Sri Lanka Railways..

19. Who should I contact in case of an issue with ticket reservations?

You may contact Sri Lanka railways via 1971 for any clarification.

20. What if I have given invalid email address?

You will not receive the temporary reservation confirmation email. But if you have given a valid local mobile number, you will receive ticket information via an SMS.