The decision to resume train services on the Upcountry railway line was made following a collective assessment by all relevant agencies involved in the restoration process, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said.
Minister Jayatissa said the Department of Railway, National Building Research Institute (NBRI) and other institutions had worked together from the initial assessment of the affected areas through to the restoration work and the test run of the railway line.
Speaking at today's (6) weekly Cabinet media briefing, Minister Jayatissa made the remarks while responding to allegations that train services had been resumed without obtaining the necessary clearance from the NBRI.
He stressed that the restoration and resumption of services were not decisions taken by the Railway Department alone, but were the result of the collective involvement of the relevant agencies.
“The Railway Department, the National Building Research Institute and all the institutions involved in the restoration worked together during the reconstruction, restoration and the initial test run of the railway line,” he said.
Minister Jayatissa said all relevant parties had been involved from the identification of the terrain and assessment of the site to determining when train services could resume.
The Railway Station Masters’ Association had alleged that the Railway Department resumed services on the Upcountry line without NBRI approval following restoration work.
The allegations came after a train travelling from Peradeniya to Colombo Fort derailed at around 5.30 a.m. yesterday (05) after colliding with fallen earth and rocks between Kadugannawa and Ihala Kotte.
Train services on the Upcountry railway line were subsequently suspended.
While restoration work was underway, another landslide occurred at around 6.20 p.m. in Angunawela between Peradeniya and Gelioya railway stations.
Minister Jayatissa reiterated that the decision to resume services had been reached through the collective involvement of the relevant agencies, rather than through an isolated decision by the Railway Department.
