The reconstructed Colombo - Jaffna, Northern Railway Line up to Jaffna will be completed by September and the Yal Devi train service to Jaffna, which was suspended for nearly 30 years, will resume operations on 15 September, the Ministry of Transport said.
The Northern Railway Line from Vavuniya to Kankasanthurai in the northern most tip of the island was completely destroyed by the LTTE during their reign. The rebels uprooted the rail tracks to build reinforced underground bunkers.
The rail line is being reconstructed in stages by the India Railway Construction International Ltd. (IRCON) with the financial and technical assistance from India.
LTTE bombed the Yal Devi train at Kokavil on January 19, 1985 killing 34 people and destroying the train tracks. The attack effectively ended the north-south rail transport.
After the war ended in May 2009, the Yal Devi recommenced operations to Thandikulam on June 6, 2009 and then extended its run to Omanthai on May 29 of 2011. It commenced services to Kilinochchi in September 2013 and extended the service to Pallai in March this year, Defence Ministry reports.
