The 2011 Alawwa rail accident, occurred on the evening of Saturday 17 September 2011, when a passenger train,
Sri Lanka Railways S11
Sri Lanka Railways Class S11 is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU) train, built for Sri Lanka Railways by Integral Coach Factory and imported through RITES Ltd, an Indian state infrastructure corporation on a line of credit extended by the Indian Govern ...
, drove into an observation car at the back of a stationary Intercity Express train near the
Alawwa railway station
Alawwa Railway Station is a railway station in the town of Alawwa, which is located in the Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka. The station is owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is part of the Main line wh ...
, approximately northeast of Colombo. The accident resulted in the death of five people, including a French national, a Thai Buddhist monk and the train driver, with over 30 injured. The Intercity Express had been pushing a
Rambukkana
Rambukkana, Pradeshiya Sabha, lies within the Kegalle district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. The Council was incorporated on 7 July 1991 as Rambukkana ward and a few small towns. The constituency today has an area of 128.8 square km, wit ...
-bound train from Colombo, which had stalled near Alawwa. The accident may have been caused by human error, and the S11 train ran into the observation car at the end of the other train.
Investigation
A three-member committee, comprising Nimal Dissanayake, retired Appeal Court judge, Sanath Panawella, Director
Arthur C. Clarke Centre and Sarath Perera, retired Deputy Inspector General Police, undertook an inquiry into the accident in October.
The Committee's conclusion was the accidents was a result of high speed and failure by the train driver to observe the rail signals. The committee recommended several solutions including re-positioning of the signal system, maintaining a proper coloured light warning system and improving communication among drivers, control room staff and station masters.
The
Ministry of Transport
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...
indicated the estimated damages resulting from the train accident as being over
Rs.
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
75 million.
[ Compensation was paid to the families of those killed, and to the injured.]
See also
* List of rail accidents in Sri Lanka
This list of railway accidents in Sri Lanka provides details of significant railway crashes in Sri Lanka involving railway rolling stock.
Other than these, a number of accidents have taken place. One major type is elephant accidents, which typi ...
* List of rail accidents (2010–2019)
This is a list of rail accidents which occurred between 2010 and 2019.
2010
* 2 January – ''India'' – In Uttar Pradesh near the town of Etawah, about southwest of Lucknow, the Lichchavi Express entering the station in heavy fog runs i ...
References
Railway accidents in 2011
Train collisions in Sri Lanka
2011 disasters in Sri Lanka
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