Train services on Colombo–Puttalam line resume following cyclone Ditwah disruptions

Train services on the Colombo–Puttalam railway line, which were suspended due to the damage caused by the Cyclone Ditwah, have resumed earlier this morning (16).

The Railway Department announced yesterday (15) that the Puttalam line would be fully reopened today, with trains operating along the line from Colombo Fort to Puttalam.

Train services on the Puttalam line were temporarily suspended due to damages caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Services were later extended in several stages up to the Negombo, Kochchikade, Nattandiya, and Kudawa railway stations. On December 29, services were extended up to the Chilaw Railway Station.

Train operations along the Puttalam railway station had been disrupted due to severe damage, including the railway track being washed away near the Baththuluoya bridge between Chilaw and Puttalam stations, a landslide onto the tracks near Thillayadi sub-station, and multiple sections of the track being washed away into the Deduru Oya near the Manuwangama sub-station, the Department of Railways noted.

However, a staff train scheduled to travel from Puttalam to Colombo Fort at 4:30 a.m. today ran without passengers due to a technical fault, Ada Derana reporter said. 

Meanwhile, the train that departed Colombo Fort at 4:00 a.m. today was the first to operate from Colombo to Puttalam following the cyclone, officially marking the resumption of passenger services along the line.