• Commuters, transporters and Railways Dept. officials note inconveniences due to excessive carriage/compartment & engine weight, inclement weather, maintenance-related difficulties including shortages of staff/service trains, and costly spare parts   

The Department of Railways recently stated that it is not possible to completely prevent train derailments, but that several measures have been taken to minimise them as much as possible. Many parties say that the steps taken by the Department are commendable, considering the difficulties faced by railway passengers and several other parties due to cancellations and delays of trains which are an inevitable result of train derailments.

Among the range of public transportation methods in the country, many people have opted to travel by train due to the relatively low cost, season tickets, and mostly because there is no traffic congestion, unlike in buses. Although the Department is one of the most sought after service providers in the country, train passengers often complain that they have had to face various difficulties due to issues such as train derailments and subsequent train cancellations and delays. While derailments are reported on all railway lines including the upcountry, northern, Puttalam, coastal, and Kelani Valley lines, trains operating on the upcountry and Coastal railway lines are more prone to derailments. Railway passengers and trade union representatives are of the view that the Department should take both short- and long-term action to minimise derailments that cause immense difficulties to many.

Data obtained from the Department reveal that the number of train derailments reported from different parts of the country has increased significantly in the three years from 2020 to last year (2023). Accordingly, there have been 98 derailments including 44 on tracks and 54 in yards in 2020, 115 derailments including 75 on tracks and 40 in yards in 2021, 133 derailments including 94 on tracks and 39 in yards in 2022 and 139 derailments including 90 on tracks and 49 on yards in 2023. The number of derailments reported so far this year (2024) is three. 

Commuters’ experiences

Commuter Naveen Jayasinghe’s experience makes it clear that train cancellations or delays caused by derailments are not only a problem related to passenger traffic. He and some of his friends had planned to go to Badulla to spend a long weekend last month (January). Sharing his experience with The Daily Morning, he said that even though all necessary arrangements had been made for their trip in advance, they had to face an unpleasant experience due to a train derailment. “We booked the train tickets for this trip about a month ago. We planned everything else according to the time when the train usually reaches the Badulla Railway Station. For example, some other friends were to join us in Badulla, and we asked them to come there at the time we thought the train would reach there. Even the hotel reservations were made according to that time. Finally, due to the derailment of another train, the train to Badulla was delayed for more than two hours. So, we had to change all our plans. One may think that a delay of two or three hours will not make a big difference, but, even in that short time, when we could not work as planned, many problems arose.” Claiming that usually people travelling to distant places like Badulla, especially groups travelling for vacations, choose the train as their means of transport, he said that he had faced difficulties due to such situations on several occasions. Even though trains are chosen to travel for reasons such as the low cost and ease of travel compared to other means of transport, having to face such experiences, he said, creates a negative attitude towards the railway service.

Train derailments affect not only passengers but also small and medium scale industrialists including florists in the upcountry areas. Among them are businessmen who transport goods to suburbs including Colombo by train. Chaminda Premasiri, a person who grows flowers in Haputale, explained such an experience that he faced. “Many people are engaged in floriculture in areas like Haputale, Diyathalawa, and Bandarawela. We mostly sell flowers to florists in Colombo. As it is very expensive to transport flowers by private vehicles, we transport them to Colombo by train. It is easy for both the flower growers and the buyers. However, when there are train delays, we both suffer a lot.” He said that on several occasions, he could not deliver flowers to florists in Colombo on time due to train delays and cancellations. “The train is a very convenient means of transportation. We have been transporting flowers to Colombo by train for many years and it has given us a lot of support to make our business successful. We understand that derailments are not the fault of the Department, but, if a programme is implemented to reduce them, it will benefit both the people and the Department.”

Railway officials’ views

The former General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Railway Station Master’s Union (SLRSMU), Kasun Chamara Jayasekara, commenting on the issue, said that although it took a few days to restore the train operation after a previous train derailment, the Department is now working to do so in a short period of time, and that it is a progressive situation. “Whenever train derailments occurred recently, the Department took alternative measures such as deploying buses from the place of derailment and transporting passengers.” He also said that the Department has taken steps to fill around 1,500 vacancies in the Sub Department of Ways and Work, which is responsible for the maintenance of railways, and added that such action would help to prevent derailments and other accidents to some extent. Jayasekara attributed the causes of frequent train derailments to certain situations beyond the control of the Railways Department as well as certain decisions of the Department. “Recently, new train compartments and engines were imported. Generally, the weight of a locomotive running on our railways is between 80-90 tonnes, but, the newly imported engines weigh about 120 tonnes. The rails have a certain amount of weight that they can bear. We can speculate that the derailments may have occurred due to the increased weight of the carriages.” In addition, he said that due to situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, difficulties had arisen in the maintenance of railway lines and the provision of train spare parts. “Derailments can also occur due to weather conditions. For example, the highest number of derailments was recorded in the upcountry line in the months of November and December, 2023. The reason for this is that the soil on the railway line had been loosened due to heavy rains.”

Another high ranking official of the Department, who did not want to reveal his name, said that the railways, including the upcountry line, have not undergone any complete renovation in recent times. He noted that it would cost a lot to renovate them, and that until it is done, it would not be possible to avoid issues such as derailments. “Over the past few years, only sections of the railway lines have been renovated from time to time. It is not a permanent solution. The necessary funds must be provided somehow and the railways must be fully renovated.”

Process underway

Following several incidents of vehicular movement on several highways and railways having to be suspended or restricted due to the floods and landslides that occur during the rainy seasons, the Ministry of Transport and Highways recently stated that it, in collaboration with the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), had planned to provide appropriate solutions for the issue. Claiming that it had identified several highways and railways which are prone to natural disasters, the Ministry stated that the NBRO would conduct studies and recommend appropriate solutions to the Ministry. Then (as of December, 2023) Ministry Secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne, said that the relevant work was expected to be initiated from this month (February).

When contacted by The Daily Morning, the Department’s Media Spokesperson and Deputy General Manager (Transport), M.J. Indipolage said that situations such as derailments could be avoided if the locomotives, compartments, and railway tracks are maintained within the proper time frame. “There is routine maintenance work and they need to be completed within the relevant period, but, in the past, such maintenance work was quite delayed due to various reasons. For example, service trains needed to transport equipment are needed to maintain railway tracks. In the past, there was a shortage of locomotives, so it was difficult to deploy service trains. However, he mentioned that the Department is currently working to provide the necessary facilities for the related maintenance activities. “Because it was identified that the defects of some train compartments are causing derailments, a project to modernise them is being implemented at the Ratmalana railway yard. Some of the modernised compartments have been added to the trains running from Colombo to Badulla. No incidents of derailment were reported in those trains. This project will continue.”

The Department had meanwhile taken measures to remove observation saloons of trains due to their defects. The General Manager of Railways, H.M.K.W. Bandara had told the media that 80% of the reported derailments on the upcountry line were due to observation saloons. Considering the issue, he had said that two of the four observation saloons had been removed. However, several parties, including trade unions within the Department, have expressed critical views regarding this decision. Since many people including tourists like to travel in observation saloons, instead of removing them from the operation, the Department should take steps to rectify their defects, various parties such as passengers and tour guides had expressed on social media platforms.