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62-581: The Sri Lanka Railway Department (more commonly known as Sri Lanka Railways (SLR)) ( Sinhala : ශ්‍රී ලංකා දුම්රිය සේවය Śrī Laṃkā Dumriya Sēvaya ; Tamil : இலங்கை புகையிரத சேவை Ilankai Pugaiyiradha Sēvai ) is Sri Lanka 's railway owner and primary operator. As part of the Sri Lankan government, it is overseen by the Ministry of Transport . Founded in 1858 as the Ceylon Government Railway, it operates

124-457: A CTC control panel at the Maradana railway station . In 2011, a project to add electronic signalling to the northern lines began. Track between Anuradhapura , Kankesanturai , and Talaimannar would have electronic signalling with centralised traffic control: an interlocking colour-light system with electrically operated points and a track-detection system. Level crossings would be connected to

186-749: A referendum to be held by 31 December 1988 in the Eastern Province to decide whether the merger should be permanent. Crucially, the accord allowed the Sri Lankan president to postpone the referendum at his discretion. On 14 November 1987 the Sri Lankan Parliament passed the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act No 42 of 1987, establishing provincial councils. On September 2 and 8 1988 President Jayewardene issued proclamations enabling

248-783: A supposed former abundance of lions on the island. According to the chronicle Mahāvaṃsa , written in Pali, Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom and his entourage merged in Sri Lanka with later settlers from the Pandya kingdom . In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India, including additional migration from the Vanga Kingdom (Bengal), as well as Kalinga and Magadha . This influx led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits. The development of Sinhala

310-436: A 54-kilometre (34 mi) main line connecting Colombo and Ambepussa . Guilford Lindsey Molesworth , the first chief engineer, became director general of the government railway. Many Ceylonese people referred to the trains as ( Sinhala :අගුරු කකා වතුර බිබී කොළඹ දුවන යකඩ යකා) Anguru Kaka Wathura Bibi Colaba Duwana Yakada Yaka ("coal-eating, water-drinking, metal devils which are sprinting to Colombo"). Extensions were made to

372-653: A Dravidian origin for this word. ), dola for pig in Vedda and offering in Sinhala. Other common words are rera for wild duck, and gala for stones (in toponyms used throughout the island, although others have also suggested a Dravidian origin). There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhala, such as olluva for head, kakula for leg, bella for neck and kalava for thighs, that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsan̆garavā , written in

434-722: A period of prior bilingualism: "The earliest type of contact in Sri Lanka, not considering the aboriginal Vedda languages, was that which occurred between South Dravidian and Sinhala. It seems plausible to assume prolonged contact between these two populations as well as a high degree of bilingualism. This explains why Sinhala looks deeply South Dravidian for an Indo-Aryan language. There is corroboration in genetic findings." In addition to many Tamil loanwords , several phonetic and grammatical features also present in neighbouring Dravidian languages set modern spoken Sinhala apart from its Northern Indo-Aryan relatives. These features are evidence of close interactions with Dravidian speakers. Some of

496-515: A railway in Ceylon was first raised in 1842 by European coffee planters seeking a line be constructed between Kandy and Colombo as a quicker more efficient means to transport their product for export. After protracted negotiations the Ceylon Railway Company was established in 1845, under the chair of Philip Anstruther , Colonial Secretary of Ceylon , to build the colony's first railway. In 1846

558-473: Is a conspicuous example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia . Sinhala ( Siṁhala ) is a Sanskrit term; the corresponding Middle Indo-Aryan ( Eḷu ) word is Sīhala . The name is a derivative of [[[:wikt:सिंह|siṁha]]] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) , the Sanskrit word for 'lion'. The name is sometimes glossed as 'abode of lions', and attributed to

620-584: Is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka , who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 2 million speakers as of 2001. It is written using the Sinhala script , which is a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. Sinhala

682-496: Is being extended from Matara to Kataragama to serve the developing city of Hambantota . In 2015, track construction to Beliaththa was delayed. In 1936, the Ceylon Government Railways owned 261 locomotives, 30 steam railcars , 1591 coaches and 3259 goods wagons. Sri Lanka Railways' locomotives are primarily diesel . Steam locomotives , in regular service until the late 1970s, are used on heritage trains such as

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744-479: Is divided into four epochs: The most important phonetic developments of Sinhala include: According to Wilhelm Geiger , an example of a possible Western feature in Sinhala is the retention of initial /v/ which developed into /b/ in the Eastern languages (e.g. Sanskrit viṁśati "twenty", Sinhala visi- , Hindi bīs ). This is disputed by Muhammad Shahidullah who says that Sinhala Prakrit branched off from

806-568: Is divided into three operating regions based in Colombo, Anuradhapura and Nawalapitiya . The railway is modernising and extending the Coastal Line for faster trains and improved efficiency. Although electrification was first proposed in 1928, the cabinet did not approve the electrification of suburban railways until 2015. Electrification of the Panadura - Veyangoda line is proposed in phase one of

868-412: Is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, alongside Tamil . Along with Pali , it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhala language are attested as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi , a regional associate of

930-460: Is planning to electrify the 120-kilometre (75 mi) Colombo commuter-rail system from Veyangoda to Maradana , Maradana to Kaluthara and Ragama to Negombo, their voltage systems are unknown. Fifteen electric multiple units will be imported for commuter service. Much of the network uses a lock-and-block signaling system. During the mid-twentieth century, the busiest sectors (around Colombo) were upgraded to electronic signalling connected to

992-761: Is surrounded by the Northern Province to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Southern Province to the south, and the Uva , Central and North Central provinces to the west. The province's coast is dominated by lagoons , the largest being Batticaloa Lagoon , Kokkilai lagoon , Upaar Lagoon and Ullackalie Lagoon . The Eastern Province is divided into 3 administrative districts , 45 Divisional Secretary's Divisions (DS Divisions) and 1,085 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions). The Eastern province's population

1054-481: The Fort and Maradana stations. The route is multi-tracked to provide rush-hour service. Electrification of the commuter-rail network has been proposed to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. A 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard-gauge metro system was proposed during the 2010s to give Colombo commuters a clean, environmentally-friendly transit option. The metro would reduce

1116-550: The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) submitted recommendations for railway electrification. Although they were approved by the cabinet, they were not implemented. The IESL made new proposals for electrification in 2008 and 2010, but no work was done because the voltage systems were undefined. System electrification is favoured by the IESL to reduce pollution and travel time and increase passenger comfort. Although Sri Lanka Railways

1178-558: The Kelani Valley line in Colombo. A tram system operated in Colombo from 1899 to 1960, operated by Colombo Electric Tramways and Lighting Company before being transferred to the Colombo Municipal Council on 31 August 1944. The state-owned Sri Lanka Railways operates nearly all of the country's rail services, but few private railways have existed at various times. The Viceroy Special heritage train and steam locomotive

1240-700: The Middle Indian Prakrits that had been used during the time of the Buddha . The most closely related languages are the Vedda language (an endangered, indigenous creole still spoken by a minority of Sri Lankans, mixing Sinhala with an isolate of unknown origin and from which Old Sinhala borrowed various aspects into its main Indo-Aryan substrate), and the Maldivian language . It has two main varieties, written and spoken, and

1302-652: The Supreme Court requesting a separate provincial council for the East. On 16 October 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that the proclamations issued by President Jayewardene were null and void and had no legal effect. The North-East Province was formally de-merged into the Northern and Eastern provinces on 1 January 2007. Much of the Eastern Province was under the control of rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for many years during

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1364-576: The UNESCO National Commission of Ceylon According to Wilhelm Geiger , Sinhala has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of the parent stock of the Vedda language . Sinhala has many words that are only found in Sinhala, or shared between Sinhala and Vedda and not etymologically derivable from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Possible examples include kola for leaf in Sinhala and Vedda (although others suggest

1426-639: The United National Party 1 seat. On 10 December 1988 Annamalai Varatharajah Perumal of the EPRLF became the first Chief Minister of the North-East Provincial Council. On 1 March 1990, just as the IPKF were preparing to withdraw from Sri Lanka, Permual moved a motion in the North-East Provincial Council declaring an independent Eelam . President Premadasa reacted to Permual's UDI by dissolving

1488-520: The Viceroy Special . The first locomotives pulled trains during the 1860s on the original 54-kilometre (34 mi) main line connecting Colombo and Ambepussa . Sri Lanka Railways converted to diesel locomotives in 1953, and several types were added to its fleet. Although Sri Lanka did not have commercially-operating electric locomotives or trainsets in 2011, electrification has been proposed to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. Most of

1550-588: The Western Region Megapolis plan with a soft loan from the Asian Development Bank . A contract was signed by Malaysia 's Airport Express Air and Rail Company and the government of Sri Lanka for a new electric rail line between Negombo and Colombo, and the project was expected to be completed by 2018. Electrification of the busiest sections of the network was proposed several times to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. Around 1998,

1612-604: The civil war . The entire province was recaptured by the Sri Lankan military in 2007. Many community members blamed Pro-Government Tamil groups such as the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP). In 2008 due to the indiscriminate firearm use by various Tamil factions government planned to disarm Tamil Paramilitary groups. However the TMVP kept arms due to threat of LTTE and denied they were active in Civilian areas. TMVP

1674-412: The "Granary of Sri Lanka". It contributes 25% of national paddy production, 17% of national milk production, and 21% of national fish production. Maize cultivation is expanding, large scale maize cultivation with hybrid seeds and contractual marketing has increased production significantly and it is targeted to produce 25 per cent of the country's maize requirement. The industrial sector contributed 34% of

1736-464: The 13th century CE, recognised a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. The grammar lists naram̆ba (to see) and koḷom̆ba (fort or harbour) as belonging to an indigenous source. Koḷom̆ba is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo . The consistent left branching syntax and the loss of aspirated stops in Sinhala is attributed to a probable South Dravidian substratum effect. This has been explained by

1798-476: The 1950s. High Speed Railway Corporation (HSRC) plans to introduce a maglev system to the island with a line connecting Negombo and Colombo 3 . Sri Lanka Railways is planning to restore the Kelaniya Valley Line up to Opanayake through Kuruvita, Ratnapura and Kahawatta and to augment the line with a broad gauge via Embilipitiya and Suriyawewa to the port of Hambantota by 2030. A proposal to link

1860-787: The British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon . They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil . The Eastern Province was part of the Tamil administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission , the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces. The districts of Batticaloa , Bintenna (part of present-day Badulla District ), Tamankaduva (present day Polonnaruwa District ) and Trincomalee formed

1922-596: The Ceylonese rail network. Rail infrastructure was improved from 1955 to 1970 under the management of B. D. Rampala , chief mechanical engineer and general manager of the Ceylon Government Railway. Emphasising punctuality and comfort, Rampala led upgrades to major stations outside Colombo and the rebuilding of track in the Eastern Province to facilitate heavier, faster trains. He introduced express trains (many of which had iconic names), and ensured that Ceylon's rail system

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1984-700: The Eastern Prakrits prior to this change. He cites the edicts of Ashoka , no copy of which shows this sound change. An example of an Eastern feature is the ending -e for masculine nominative singular (instead of Western -o ) in Sinhalese Prakrit. There are several cases of vocabulary doublets , one example being the words mæssā ("fly") and mækkā ("flea"), which both correspond to Sanskrit makṣikā but stem from two regionally different Prakrit words macchiā (Western Prakrits) and makkhikā (as in Eastern Prakrits like Pali ). In 1815,

2046-771: The Eastern province for the people who live below the poverty line, developing the Trincomalee Harbour , construction of the Sampur Power Station , Development of Maritime park and a Maritime Museum in Trincomalee, creation of the Sampur industrial zone, development of bus stands, canals and the Oluvil Harbour in Ampara district. Eastern province has an area of 9,996 square kilometres (3,859 sq mi). The province

2108-538: The North-East Province, rigged the elections in the north so that the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF), two Indian backed paramilitary groups, won all of the 36 seats in the north uncontested. However, elections did take place for the 35 seats in the east. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress won 17 seats, EPRLF 12 seats, ENDLF 5 seats and

2170-417: The Northern and Eastern provinces to be one administrative unit administered by one elected Council. The North-East Province was born. The proclamations were only meant to be a temporary measure until a referendum was held in the Eastern Province on a permanent merger between the two provinces. However, the referendum was never held and successive Sri Lankan presidents issued proclamations annually extending

2232-462: The Parnepettia Pass, with a total length of 127 km (79 mi), a ruling gradient of one in 60, with a short Tunnel at an estimated cost of £856,557. The initial sod turning was on 3 August 1858 (near the present Maradana railway station ) by Governor Sir Henry Ward . The Ceylon Railway Company's contractor, William Thomas Doyne, soon realised that it was impossible to complete the work on

2294-715: The Province's GDP and export processing zones like the Trincomalee EPZ and Sampur Heavy Industrial Zone have been developed to boost the industrial sector alongside the Trincomalee Harbour , which is being developed for Break bulk , Bulk cargo and industrial activities including heavy industries. The province benefits from a large tourism industry with many seaside resorts and hotels situated mainly in lagoons as well as beaches such as Pasikudah , Nilaveli , Uppuveli and Kalkudah . Historic sites and other natural attractions such as Pigeon Island , coral reefs contribute to

2356-580: The Sri Lankan mainland, and the Indian rail network was extended to Dhanushkodi ; however, the bridge linking them was not built. Ferry service connecting the railheads at Talaimannar and Dhanushkodi lasted until the 1960s, when a cyclone destroyed the pier and rail line in Dhanushkodi. Ferry service resumed from the Indian terminus at Rameshwaram until the Sri Lankan Civil War . A rail bridge (or tunnel)

2418-537: The busiest portions of Colombo and its suburbs. Most commuter trains are diesel multiple units and lack the three-class configuration of intercity service. Commuter trains, which alleviate rush-hour congestion on city roads, can be crowded. Electrification of the commuter-rail network has been proposed to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. SLR divides its network into three operating regions, based in Maradana , Nawalapitya and Anuradhapura . The network consists of nine lines, and several services were named during

2480-633: The company's engineer, Thomas Drane, undertook preliminary surveys for the new rail line. In December 1856 Captain William Scarth Moorsom , Chief Engineer of the Corps of Royal Engineers, was sent from England to assess the project for the Secretary of State for the Colonies , Henry Labouchere . His report, issued May 1857, considered six alternative routes to Kandy and recommended the adoption of Route No.3 via

2542-707: The construction and repairing of roads, schools, hospitals, resettlement of IDPs and construction of Nanasala ICT centers. There are currently 88 Nanasala ICT education centers in the Eastern Province. Other Projects include reconstructing the Walai Iravu bridge which was destroyed by the LTTE, developing the Weber stadium in the Batticaloa town, increasing agricultural production, construction of Manmunai , Vavunativu and New Oddamavadi bridges, carpeting roads, constructing 48,000 houses in

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2604-508: The construction of the Main Line from Colombo to Ambepussa , 54 kilometres (34 mi) east, and the first train ran on 27 December 1864. The line was officially opened to traffic on 2 October 1865. The Main Line was extended in stages, with service to Kandy in 1867, to Nawalapitiya in 1874, to Nanu-Oya in 1885, to Bandarawela in 1894, and to Badulla in 1924. Other lines were completed to link

2666-1271: The country: the Matale Line in 1880, the Coastal Line in 1895, the Northern Line in 1905, the Mannar Line in 1914, the Kelani Valley Line in 1919, the Puttalam Line in 1926, and the Batticaloa and Trincomalee Lines in 1928. The coastal line runs south from Colombo, following the Indian Ocean , with views of tropical beaches and coconut palm trees. It links the regional centres of Moratuwa , Panadura and Kalutara , and beach resorts at Aluthgama , Ambalangoda and Hikkaduwa . The line continues past Galle (known for its historic, preserved Dutch fort), ending in Beliatta . Sri Lanka Railways has intercity service connecting major population centres, and commuter rail serving Colombo commuters. The railway also transports freight. Most intercity trains have several classes: Commuter trains serve

2728-608: The estimate submitted. In 1861, the contract with the Ceylon Railway Company was terminated, the subscribed capital paid off, and the government took over the construction work, under the name Ceylon Government Railway (now Sri Lanka Railway). At the end of 1862 the Crown Agents for the Colonies accepted, on behalf of the Government of Ceylon, a tender from William Frederick Faviell for the construction of 117 km (73 mi) of railway between Colombo and Kandy. The service began with

2790-472: The features that may be traced to Dravidian influence are: ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නවා dannavā know ඒක අලුත් කියලා මම දන්නවා ēka aḷut kiyalā mama dannavā it new having-said I know "I know that it is new." ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new ද da Q කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නේ Eastern Province, Sri Lanka In 1815

2852-556: The industry. The 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. The first elections for provincial councils took place on 28 April 1988 in North Central , North Western , Sabaragamuwa , and Uva provinces. Elections in the newly merged North-East Province were scheduled for 19 November 1988. However, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), which at that time occupied

2914-590: The island of Ceylon came under British rule . During the career of Christopher Reynolds as a Sinhalese lecturer at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London , he extensively researched the Sinhalese language and its pre-1815 literature. The Sri Lankan government awarded him the Sri Lanka Ranjana medal for his work. He wrote the 377-page An anthology of Sinhalese literature up to 1815 , selected by

2976-441: The life of the "temporary" entity. The merger was bitterly opposed by Sri Lankan nationalists. The combined North-East Province occupied one fourth of Sri Lanka. The thought of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlling this province, directly or indirectly, alarmed them greatly. On 14 July 2006, after a long campaign against the merger, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna political party filed three separate petitions with

3038-442: The load on the commuter-rail system and alleviate congestion on major roads. A consortium of three companies is conducting feasibility studies on the project. Colombo Light Rail has received $ 1.25 billion in funding. In areas with little demand for commuter trains railbuses are used. Railbus services exist between Batticaloa and Trincomalee , via Gal Oya . Railbuses are used to connect Kandy with Peradeniya , and also on

3100-471: The main line in 1867, 1874, 1885, 1894 and 1924 to Kandy , Nawalapitiya , Nanu Oya , Bandarawela and Badulla . Other lines were added to the rail system during its first century, including an 1880 line to Matale ; the 1895 Coast Railway Line; the 1905 Northern Line; the 1914 Mannar Line; the 1919 Kelani Valley Line; the 1926 Puttalam Line, and the 1928 line to Batticaloa and Trincomalee . For more than 80 years after that, no major extensions were added to

3162-410: The nation's railways and links Colombo (the capital) with other population centres and tourist destinations. The Sri Lankan rail network is 1,508 km (937 mi) of 5 ft 6 in ( 1,676 mm ) broad gauge . Some of its routes are scenic, with the main line passing (or crossing) waterfalls, mountains, tea estates , pine forests, bridges and peak stations. The construction of

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3224-426: The new Eastern Province. Tamankaduva was transferred to the newly created North Central Province in 1873 and Bintenna was transferred to the newly created Uva Province in 1886. The Indo-Lanka Accord signed on 29 July 1987 required the Sri Lankan government to devolve powers to the provinces and, in the interim, to merge the Northern and Eastern provinces into one administrative unit . The accord required

3286-404: The passenger coaches that are in service are either manufactured by the Romanian Astra Rail Industries or by ICF, Chennai . On most lines, service is being upgraded with long-haul diesel multiple units from CSR Corporation and India's RITES . The 1,508-kilometre (937 mi) Sri Lankan railway network is 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge . All service is diesel-powered. The network

3348-449: The railways of Sri Lanka and India did not materialise, but a combined train-ferry-train service (known as Boat Mail ) connected Colombo with Chennai for much of the twentieth century. A 35 km (22 miles) bridge linking the countries was proposed in 1894 by the consultant engineer for railways in Madras (Chennai); a blueprint and cost analysis were made. The Mannar line was built by 1914 to connect Talaimannar on Mannar Island to

3410-406: The relative safety of the capital Colombo . The conflict has also caused some of the Tamils, Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the province to flee to other parts of Sri Lanka, though most of them have returned to the province since the end of the civil war. Islam is the plurality religion in Eastern Province. The Eastern Province has a primarily agriculture-based economy and is commonly known as

3472-492: The signalling system, ensuring safety. After the 2011 Alawwa rail accident , SLR began installing a GPS -based train-protection system on its fleet. The system warns a train driver of a possible collision in time to manually stop the train. The fleet can also be monitored by a central control room with the system. A trial run with ten trains was conducted in early November 2011. Major population centres and tourist destinations are connected by rail. Service began in 1864 with

3534-416: Was 1,551,381 in 2012. The province is the most diverse in Sri Lanka, both ethnically and religiously. The population of the province, like that of the Northern Province, was heavily affected by the civil war . The war killed an estimated 100,000 people. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war. Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to

3596-500: Was finally disarmed in 2009 after the LTTE was defeated. The Eastern Province has received at least $ 500 million from international donors since coming under the control of the government of Sri Lanka in 2007, according to the International Crisis Group . Since the end of the war the Eastern Province has seen considerable development under the Nagenahira Navodaya (Eastern Revival) program which include various agricultural, infrastructural and Social development projects. These include

3658-637: Was introduced in 1986 and is still advertised as of early 2024. Expolanka introduced its ExpoRail service on 6 October 2011, which is no longer in operation. The Rajadhani Express was introduced by Blue Line Express on 6 October 2011 but ceased operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sinhala language Sinhala ( / ˈ s ɪ n h ə l ə , ˈ s ɪ ŋ ə l ə / SIN -hə-lə, SING -ə-lə ; Sinhala: සිංහල , siṁhala , [ˈsiŋɦələ] ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( / ˌ s ɪ n ( h ) ə ˈ l iː z , ˌ s ɪ ŋ ( ɡ ) ə ˈ l iː z / SIN -(h)ə- LEEZ , SING -(g)ə- LEEZ ),

3720-418: Was proposed again during the 2000s, highlighting the benefits of connecting the ports of Colombo and Trincomalee with Chennai . Commuter rail service connects Colombo to its suburbs, helping alleviate rush-hour congestion on city roads. Local commuter trains and intercity lines use the same tracks. Colombo's commuter-rail network is 100 kilometres (62 mi) of track from Panadura to Polgahawela via

3782-409: Was up to date and offered comfort to its passengers. Until 1953, Ceylon's railways used steam locomotives . During 1960s and 70s, they changed to diesel locomotives under Rampala's leadership. The government began a 10-year railway-development strategy in the early 2010s, ordering replacement DMUs . The southern line, which was damaged in the 2004 tsunami , was upgraded from 2010 to 2012; its track

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3844-435: Was upgraded to handle train speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph). Sri Lanka Railways began partnering with ExpoRail and Rajadhani Express in 2011 for premium service on major routes. Its northern line , affected by almost three decades of war, is being rebuilt; in 2015, it was restored to Jaffna and Kankesanthurai at pre-war levels The maximum speed on this line is currently 120 km/h(74 mph). The southern line

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