The Batticaloa line is a
railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Branching off the
Northern line
The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two ...
at Maho Junction, the line heads east through
North Central Province and south-easterly through
Eastern Province before
terminating at the eastern city of
Batticaloa
Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...
. The line is long and has 31
stations
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
. The line opened in 1928. There were no services on the
Polonnaruwa
Poḷonnaruwa, ( si, පොළොන්නරුව, translit=Poḷonnaruva; ta, பொலன்னறுவை, translit=Polaṉṉaṟuvai) also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa Dis ...
-Batticaloa stretch of the line between 31 October 1996 and 12 April 2003 due to the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
The ''Udaya Devi'' service operates on the line.
Route definition
The Batticaloa line runs through the North Central and Eastern Provinces, connecting
Mahawa
Mahawa (also known as Maho) ( si, මහව) is a town in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. It is located in the Kurunegala District. Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Christians live in this town. The town is situated north-west of the Ya ...
(Maho Junction) on the Northern Line with the eastern city of Batticaloa.
The line runs east of Maho Junction towards
Habarana
Habarana ( si, හබරණ, translit=Habaraṇa; ta, அபரணை, translit=Aparaṇai) is a small city in the Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka. The location has some mid-range and up hotels aimed at package tourists, and is a departure poi ...
. At Habarana, the construction of a new line to connect to
Kurunegala
Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...
has been proposed in June 2013 to cut short journey times between Colombo and Batticaloa-line destinations.
East of Habarana, the
Trincomalee Line
The Trincomalee line is a railway line in Sri Lanka. Branching off the Batticaloa line at Gal Oya Junction, the line heads north-east through North Central and Eastern provinces before terminating at the eastern city of Trincomalee. The line is ...
diverges off the Batticaloa line at Gal Oya towards the port city of
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
. The Batticaloa line continues south-east towards Polonnaruwa before continuing to
Batticaloa terminus.
History
The Batticaloa line opened in 1928, as a light railway. Only locomotives with light axel loads were used on the line.
[http://www.infolanka.com/org/mrail/rroutes.html The Rail Routes of Sri Lanka]
In the 1950s, the route was upgraded to support
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
operation, under the administration of then CGR General Manager
B. D. Rampala
Bamunusinghearachchige Don Rampala (14 November 1910 – 20 June 1994), (popularly known as B. D. Rampala) was chief mechanical engineer and later general manager of Sri Lanka Railways. He was the first native Sri Lankan to hold the post of c ...
. Sharp curves and steep gradients were eased, as well as the change to heavier rails, to match the rest of the system.
Between 31 October 1996 and 12 April 2003, there were no services on the
Polonnaruwa
Poḷonnaruwa, ( si, පොළොන්නරුව, translit=Poḷonnaruva; ta, பொலன்னறுவை, translit=Polaṉṉaṟuvai) also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa Dis ...
-Batticaloa stretch of the line, due to the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
Operation
Sri Lanka Railways operates the
Udaya Devi ''Udaya Devi'' ( si, උදය දේවි, Princess/Queen of the Rise/Morning) is an Express train that runs between Colombo Fort and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka.
The ''Udaya Devi'' is one of three trains that runs between Colombo Fort and Batticaloa ...
service on the Batticaloa line. The service connects
Colombo Fort
Fort (Colombo) (; ) is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is ...
with Batticaloa.
Railbus service is provided for local services without significant demand. Railbus services allow SLR to meet local needs without stressing its limited rolling stock.
Infrastructure
The Batticaloa line is entirely single track, at
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
.
The line is not electrified. Regular services run on diesel power, including the railbus services. The line currently operates on a
lock-and-block signaling system.
See also
*
Sri Lanka Railways
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 ...
References
{{Rail transport in Sri Lanka
Railway lines in Sri Lanka
Railway lines opened in 1928
Transport in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
Transport in North Central Province, Sri Lanka
5 ft 6 in gauge railways in Sri Lanka