Several sections of Northern Railway Line to be temporarily closed for renovation work
January 18, 2026 05:49 pm
The Northern Railway Line will be temporarily closed at several sections starting tomorrow (19) for renovation and maintenance work.
Accordingly, the section from the Maho Junction to Anuradhapura will be temporarily closed from tomorrow, Railway General Manager Ravindra Pathmapriya stated.
Meanwhile, From January 26, steps will be taken to completely close the section from Maho to Omanthai for ongoing renovation activities.
Additionally, renovation work on the Medawachchiya–Talaimannar railway line is scheduled to commence tomorrow (19), the Department of Railways confirmed.
The work on the Maho–Omanthai section will include reconstructing five bridges and renovating the temporary road built for elephant crossings concurrently.
All renovation work is planned to be completed before the upcoming Sinhala–Hindu New Year, enabling normal north–south railway operations to resume.
Furthermore, starting January 20, the Pulathisi Intercity Express and Udaya Devi train resume operations, and plans are underway to recommence the night mail train service to Trincomalee, the Department noted.
Moreover, from tomorrow (19), the Yal Rani train will run from Anuradhapura to Kankesanthurai, and from January 27, it will operate from Omanthai to Kankesanthurai, the Railway General Manager stated.
