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Train fare revision from tonight 

22 Jul 2022

  • Station masters oppose move as impractical due to calculation issues, suggests deferring implementation till current old ticket stocks run out  
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Railway Department has planned to implement the recently announced train fare hike announced from midnight today (22), while the Sri Lanka Railway Station Master’s Union (SLRSMU), which has been assigned a leading role in the implementation of the said fare hike, has decided not to implement it from  midnight today. Speaking to The Morning, Railway Department General Manager Dhammika Jayasundara said that the recently announced hike of train fares would be implemented from midnight today. He also said that the fare hike can cover about 60% of the cost incurred by the department in view of the increased fuel prices. However, SLRSMU General Secretary Kasun Chamara, speaking to The Morning, said that the immediate implementation of this fare revision would not be practical. He claimed that according to the proposed amendment, problematic situations have arisen in the calculation of train fares between the railway stations in certain areas. Accordingly, he said that the Executive Committee of the SLRSMU has decided to not implement the fare hike with effect from midnight today.  “The revised fares should be checked before implementation, but there is not enough time for that in a short span of time. Also, currently, the railway stations have stocks of train tickets with the old prices printed on them. There may be issues when the tickets with those prices are issued and the revised fares are charged. Therefore, the SLRSMU is of the opinion that this fare revision should be implemented after the current stocks of tickets at the railway stations are exhausted,” said Chamara. Despite the department’s previous announcement that the revision of train fares, which was recently approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, would come into effect from 14 July, the same was postponed until further notice. An official of the department stated at the time that the department had decided to not implement the fare revision from 14 July on the basis of a legal issue that had arisen.  


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