The Railway Department has announced that several train journeys along the upcountry railway line will be cancelled tomorrow (20), due to a derailment near the Ihalakotte railway station today (19).
According to officials, the ‘Podi Menike’ express train scheduled to depart Colombo Fort for Badulla at 5:55 a.m. has been cancelled.
Additionally, the Colombo Fort to Kandy intercity express train scheduled for 7:00 a.m. has also been cancelled.
Furthermore, the ‘Udarata Menike’ train set to depart Colombo Fort for Badulla at 8:30 a.m. and the express train scheduled to leave for Badulla at 9:45 a.m. have both been cancelled as well.
Earlier Sri Lanka Railways has announced that two night mail trains scheduled to operate this evening were cancelled.
The cancellation has been attributed to a train derailment near the Ihalakotte railway station earlier today.
It has been reported that the derailment may have been caused by a minor landslide in the area, following heavy rainfall.
One carriage of the train has derailed, and Sri Lanka Railways stated that re-railing operations are currently underway.
