Kandy railway station ( si, මහනුවර දුම්රිය ස්ථානය, ta, கண்டி ரயில் நிலையம்) is a major railway station in

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

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 ...

. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways and is the primary railway station in Kandy and one of the most significant in the central hills. The station sits on a branch of the

Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

, leading to the Matale Line.

History

The Colombo to Kandy railway line (what is now known as the

Main line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

) was extended in stages, with the first stage to

Ambepussa Ambepussa is a town in the Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. History The Ambepussa railway station, was the terminus station for the first rail passenger service, a ten-carriage train which departed Colombo Fort railway st ...

completed in December 1864 and the next stage to

Polgahawela Polgahawela is a town located in north western Sri Lanka. It is most notable for being a major railway junction. Polgahawela is situated in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka, and is located approximately north-east from the capital city ...

by November 1866. Following the construction of bridges over the

Mahaweli Ganga The Mahaweli River ( si, මහවැලි ගඟ, literally "Great Sandy River"; ta, மகாவலி ஆறு 'mahawali gangai'', is a long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka. It has a drainage basin of , the largest in the ...

and the

Maha Oya The Maha Oya is a major stream in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It measures approximately in length. It runs across four provinces and five districts. Maha Oya has 14 Water supply networks to serve the need of water and more than 1 m ...

the last rail tracks were laid on 15 April 1867. The next day the first steam engine entered the Kandy Railway Station. On 30 April 1867 the first train, a goods service, completed the journey from Colombo to Kandy, with the first passenger service commencing on 1 August 1867. Initially there were two train passenger/mail services, leaving at the respective ends of the service at 7:00am, with the overall journey taking 4.5 hours. The railway station at Kandy was constructed on a site known as Deiyange Wela. It is above sea level and from Colombo.

Architecture

Kandy Railway Station features both

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

and Victorian architecture. The station building is of the

Art Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

style, incorporating curving forms and long horizontal lines. It uses concrete massing to create a geometric form. Its

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

walls and simple, bold forms contrast sharply with the highly ornamented,

traditional architecture Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...

that surrounds it. Kandy Bahnhof 2017-10-21 - 3

The structure sheltering the platforms is of an older Victorian design. The structure displays stylish arches and intricate metalwork.

Refurbishment

In February 2008 Chevron Sri Lanka provided RS. 7 million to Sri Lanka Railways to renovate and restore the railway station. The refurbishment was completed by June 2008, prior to the commencement of the

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan ...

summit. The works included drainage, landscaping, colour washing of the station building, renovation of lobby flooring, installation of new platform benches, waste collection facilities, and the renovation of toilets and passenger waiting rooms.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kandy railway station Railway stations in Kandy District Railway stations on the Matale Line Railway stations on the Main Line (Sri Lanka) Railway stations opened in 1867 Buildings and structures in Kandy Rail transport in Central Province, Sri Lanka

History

Architecture

Refurbishment

See also

References

External links