What a trip! The ups and downs of train travel in Sri Lanka
By travelling from Negombo to Colombo Fort Station, you can link up with the island’s main rail network.
But for anyone used to travelling on trains, Sri Lanka can be an interesting—although challenging—experience.
Ceylon Government Railway (now Sri Lankan Railway) was founded in 1858 by the British to link tea and other plantations to Colombo.
In 1907, Negombo joined the network with the building of the Panadura to Puttulam line. Negombo main railway station was officially opened on December 1, 1909.
It thus linked the town to Colombo, and in 1916 the extension to Chillaw, and finally to Puttalam in May 1926, were added.
Four stations
There are four stations serving Negombo: Kurana, Negombo Downtown, Kattua and Kochchikade. Negombo Downtown, the main station, is 38.9km from Colombo Fort.
It is an incredibly cheap and cheerful way to travel, although maybe not the most comfortable. And unless you have no choice, travelling on the commuter trains is to be avoided.
Tickets cannot sell out, so the only limit on numbers is when there is not an inch of space left to squeeze another person on (including hanging on the outside).
Rattle your bones!
The journey takes about 1hr 30mins. Try and avoid the commuter trains and you might get a hard, unpadded seat that will rattle your bones for the duration!
The choice of 1st class with air conditioning or 2nd class with padded seats is not available on these trains. Doors are always left open to to give the illusion of a cooling breeze blowing through the carriage.
Catching a connecting train to go to Hikkaduwa, I arrived on the platform in Colombo Fort at the time the train was due to leave.
It was, needless to say, jam packed full, so I stepped back—only for someone to grab my bag, and two others to grab me!
After the initial shock I realised that my bag and I were safely reunited on the train, which by now was pulling out of the station.
A good deal of manoeuvring followed before I found myself on the other side of the carriage, just one person away from the open door.
No need to worry!
No need to worry about holding on to anything—I was wedged firmly upright and facing the ocean for the next two hours. The view was stunning, but the sea breeze blowing in did nothing to cool me down.
Vendors selling small cups of hot sweet tea, spicy snacks or diced pineapple somehow managed to move through the train hawking their wares. I was so grateful for a large bottle of water!
Would I do it again? Absolutely. In spite of everything, it was fun and everyone smiled, some no doubt puzzled as to why I wasn’t travelling in the ‘normal’ (for a foreigner) luxury of an air-conditioned car with driver