Politics

The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Association has claimed that work on the Peradeniya Railway Bridge, located on the up-country railway line, has been halted. They also mentioned there are no plans to begin repairs on the railway track between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa. In their statement, the Association noted that the Peradeniya Bridge was damaged by floods and was initially meant to be replaced with a new double bridge with government help. However, authorities later chose to fix the existing bridge instead. The government announced that train services to Kandy would start again by April 2026. Although the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) began the renovation under state direction, the union stated that the Railway Engineering Technical Committee found the work did not meet necessary standards. Consequently, renovation efforts on the Peradeniya Railway Bridge have reportedly stopped. The Department of Railways is now looking to get a new report on what to do next regarding the bridge, according to the statement. The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Association also accused the current General Manager of Railways of worsening the situation. They claimed that putting an administrative officer in this role has led to problems. The union indicated that the General Manager has tried to cut operational costs by reducing train journeys, which they see as a simple way to make the department look profitable. They warned that the failure of officials to share their opinions and the General Manager's disregard for professional advice has harmed the government’s reputation and caused major issues for train passengers. The union asserted that these problems have made it difficult to repair railway lines affected by landslides and flooding. Therefore, the Association urged the authorities to create a committee of retired engineers who have previously served as General Manager of Railways to speed up the return of normal train services.