Trams existed 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 ...

's capital

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

from 1899 to 1960.

History

In 1892 the

Colombo Municipal Council The Colombo Municipal Council is the municipal governing body of Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of Colombo, current elect is Rosy Senanayake, and 119 elected 119 muni ...

called for tenders for the construction of tramways in the city. Three years later a contract was signed with Boustead Brothers, a private British company. Work on laying the tracks, overhead construction and the power station commenced in September 1897. On 11 January 1900 the Ceylon Electric Tramways opened the country’s first tramway for public service with the ‘Grand Pass Route’ being the first section to open, followed by the ‘Borella (Maradana) Route’. The tramways was eventually brought under Colombo Electric Tramways and Lighting Company Ltd after its formation in 1902, the same company that built the

Pettah Power Station Pettah Power Station was a thermal power station in Colombo in south western Ceylon. History Pettah Power Station opened in 1898 and was located on Gasworks Street in the Pettah area of central Colombo. It was Ceylon's second power station after ...

. The Pettah Power Station was the second power station established in the country and was used to power the tram network, mercantile offices, government buildings and street lights. The whole of the track on both routes was relaid with rails between December 1905 and August 1907, with all joints being welded by

thermite Thermite () is a pyrotechnic composition of metal powder and metal oxide. When ignited by heat or chemical reaction, thermite undergoes an exothermic reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create brief ...

process. After a tram car strike in 1929, the

took over operations of the electric tram system on 31 August 1944. The tram network were eventually scrapped in 1960. The Colombo Municipal Council closed the service on 30 June 1960.

Tram network

Tramways and Mosques in Colombo, Ceylon - 1914

The tram network consisted of a single line which utilised a rail gauge. A total of 52 cars were in service, shuttling thousands of passengers between ten stops on the route from

Maradana Station Maradana Railway Station ( si, මරදාන දුම්රිය ස්ථානය, ta, மருதானை ரயில் நிலையம்) is a major rail hub in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways, ...

Borella Borella is the largest suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka represented by divisional code 8. Demographic Borella is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. The major ethnic communities in Borella are Sinhalese and Tamils. There are also various other ...

. The trams used

trolley pole A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" (electrified) overhead wire to the control and the electric traction motors of a tram or trolley bus. It is a type of current collector. Th ...

s and consisted of open "toast-rack" type, and closed centre-entry type. The average number of passengers carried on both routes in 1900 was 14,529 daily, in 1904 the number of passengers carried was 6,5559,059 and in 1905 was 6,555,338.

Tramway Route

The original two tramway routes were: ‘Grand Pass Route’ * Fort Terminus (opposite

Grand Oriental Hotel Grand Oriental Hotel or GOH (also previously known as the Taprobane Hotel) is a 3 star heritage hotel, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. History The original building on the site was a simple, single-storey structure with open verandah to the str ...

) * Coal Depot *

Pettah Market The Pettah Market also called Manning Market is an open market in the suburb of Pettah, Sri Lanka, Pettah in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The entrance to the Pettah Market is marked formally by a tall monument in the centre of a roundabout, kn ...

* Main Street * St Paul’s Church * New Moon Street * Messenger Street * Grand Pass Road * St Joseph’s College *

Grandpass Grandpass is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of an area known as ''Colombo 14''. History During the Portuguese administration in Sri Lanka, the area was named Grande Passo. The name was anglicised during the British administration to ...

* River Kelani ‘Borella Tramway’ * Fort Terminus (opposite Grand Oriental Hotel) * York Street * Chatham Street * North Road *

Fort Railway Station Fort railway station is a major rail hub in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways, with many inter-city and commuter trains entering each day. Fort Station is the main rail gateway to central Colombo; it is the terminus ...

* Lake and

Royal College A royal college in some Commonwealth countries is technically a college which has received royal patronage and permission to use the prefix ''royal''. Permission is usually granted through a royal charter. The charter normally confers a constituti ...

* Ferry terminal to Captain’s Garden * Railway Goods Station * Technical College * Pass over railway at Maradana Junction * Police Headquarters * Maradana Road *

Incidents

* On 16 June 1899 at 10pm, a tramcar travelling along Maradana Road (now Gnanaratha Pradeepa Mawatha) collided with a pony cart travelling from Regent Street to Jail Road (now , and ) causing injury to the two cart riders and pony, and damages to the cart and harness.

Gallery

Tramway1899.jpg, British, Arabs, and locals, boarding a tram in 1899. Colombo tram car.jpg, Tramcar in Colombo, c.1910. Ceylon Tram Car, Colombo.jpg, Tramcar in Colombo, c.1910.

References

External links

* {{Rail transport in Sri Lanka Rail transport in Colombo History of Colombo Tram transport in Sri Lanka Defunct town tramway systems by city