Sri Lanka Railway
- About
- Popular Routes
- Stations
- Reviews
- Schedule and Timetable
About Sri Lanka Railway
A railway journey is a convenient way to explore the country. No matter whether you are after a quintessentially old school experience with a slow long-haul train or a super modern highspeed express, a train travel allows you to get to your destination in style and enjoy the trip at its most. Sri Lanka Railway is one of the operators you can book a train ride with. Before confirming your booking, remember to check the date of your travel, class, price and conditions of your fare.
What are the Main Stations of Sri Lanka Railway?
The main stations covered by Sri Lanka Railway’s route map include
- Nanu Oya
- Jaffna Train Station
- Ella
- Anuradhapura
- Colombo Fort
- Badulla Ella
- Ambewela
- Maho
- Kekirawa
- Kankesanthurai
- Hikkaduwa
- Peradeniya
- Kilinochchi
- Talaimannar Pier
- Ragama
- Medawachchiya
- Diyatalawa
- Hingurakgoda
- Galoya
- Vavuniya
- Wellawatte
- Chunnakam
- Maradana
- Valaichchenai
- Polgahawela
- Matara
- Mannar
- Galgamuwa
- Kalutara South
- Hali Ela
- Nawalapitiya
- Ambalangoda
- Kurunegala
- Idalgashinna
- Mount Lavinia
- Batticaloa
- Kantale
- Bandarawela
- Gampola
- Avissawella
- Kandy
- Rambukkana
- Palai
- Trincomalee
- Tambalagamuwa
- Ohiya
- Veyangoda
- Great Western
- Moratuwa
- Pattipola
- Demodara
- Habarana
- Hatton
- China Bay
- Beliatta
- Polonnaruwa
- Haputale
- Galle
- Aluthgama
- Kodikamam
- Gampaha
- Welikanda
- Eravur
What are the Most Popular Routes of Sri Lanka Railway?
Here are some of the routes offered by Sri Lanka Railway which enjoy the greatest popularity with travellers:
- Nuwara Eliya - Ella
- Colombo - Jaffna
- Colombo - Trincomalee
- Colombo - Galle
- Ella - Nuwara Eliya
- Colombo - Matara
- Trincomalee - Colombo
- Jaffna - Colombo
- Galle - Colombo
- Colombo - Habarana
- Ambewela - Ella
- Colombo - Batticaloa
- Ella - Ambewela
- Colombo - Hikkaduwa
- Nuwara Eliya - Badulla
- Batticaloa - Colombo
- Matara - Colombo
- Colombo - Anuradhapura
- Badulla - Ella
- Ella - Badulla
- Badulla - Nuwara Eliya
- Hikkaduwa - Colombo
- Nuwara Eliya - Ambewela
- Ambewela - Badulla
- Colombo - Kekirawa
- Ella - Haputale
- Colombo - Aluthgama
- Habarana - Colombo
- Anuradhapura - Jaffna
- Badulla - Ambewela
- Anuradhapura - Colombo
- Colombo - Peradeniya
- Colombo - Beliatta
- Jaffna - Anuradhapura
- Colombo - Polonnaruwa
- Aluthgama - Colombo
- Haputale - Ella
- Galle - Matara
- Beliatta - Colombo
- Colombo - Vavuniya
- Ambewela - Nuwara Eliya
- Trincomalee - Habarana
- Hikkaduwa - Matara
- Demodara - Nuwara Eliya
- Ambewela - Demodara
- Badulla - Demodara
- Galle - Beliatta
- Habarana - Batticaloa
- Ella - Demodara
- Colombo - Pasikudah
- Pasikudah - Colombo
- Badulla - Haputale
- Colombo - Kurunegala
- Demodara - Badulla
- Demodara - Ambewela
- Nuwara Eliya - Demodara
- Peradeniya - Colombo
- Haputale - Ambewela
- Vavuniya - Colombo
- Hikkaduwa - Galle
- Ambewela - Haputale
- Haputale - Nuwara Eliya
- Habarana - Trincomalee
- Nuwara Eliya - Haputale
- Aluthgama - Galle
- Haputale - Badulla
- Ella - Bandarawela
- Colombo - Polgahawela
- Jaffna - Vavuniya
- Habarana - Pasikudah
- Demodara - Haputale
- Matara - Galle
- Kurunegala - Colombo
- Habarana - Polonnaruwa
- Aluthgama - Matara
- Colombo - Ambalangoda
- Polgahawela - Colombo
- Demodara - Ella
- Polonnaruwa - Colombo
- Matara - Beliatta
- Matara - Aluthgama
- Vavuniya - Jaffna
- Polonnaruwa - Pasikudah
- Beliatta - Hikkaduwa
- Ohiya - Nuwara Eliya
- Colombo - Kankesanthurai
- Demodara - Bandarawela
- Matara - Hikkaduwa
- Colombo - Kalutara
- Haputale - Demodara
- Kalutara - Colombo
- Aluthgama - Hikkaduwa
- Gampaha - Anuradhapura
- Aluthgama - Beliatta
- Colombo - Kilinochchi
- Bandarawela - Nuwara Eliya
- Beliatta - Galle
- Pattipola - Badulla
- Anuradhapura - Kurunegala
- Ella - Ohiya
What are the Train Classes & Prices of Sri Lanka Railway?
Depending on the length of your trip and your preferences you can choose a first or second class ticket in a sleeper coach for an overnight trip or opt for a hard or soft seat if available. Note that the choice of ticket classes depends both on the route and the length of your trip. Basically, your train may feature first class berths but you will not be able to book one if you are doing just a short two-hour stretch. In general, second class berths are a good choice for longer trips, and soft seats get you covered if your train ride is supposed to take under 4-5 hours.
Pros & Cons of Train Travel
Pros of Train Travel
- The best thing about railway travel is no traffic jams. Even on rush-hour, long weekends or during the high season
- An easy online booking process – you do not need to go to the railway station, which was the case in many places not so long ago!
- Prices for train tickets are usually more affordable compared to airplane tickets yet for certain destinations and trips the total travel time can be almost the same
- While rail travel is obviously slower than air travel, railway stations are often located in the centre of the city which saves you a sack of time getting to/from there while airports are almost always are quite a long way out of the city
- Travelling by night allows you to save on a hotel room and sleep well at the same time – opposite to a night bus where even the sleeping class is a huge compromise
- On certain routes luxury service is available
Cons of Train Travel
- For longer trips a train ride is definitely more time consuming than air journeys
- Trains do ride on schedule but being out of schedule is not unheard of for train travel – and delays can be huge, so if you are planning a connection to your flight, carefully check the time your train arrives at the station and think twice.
- Cleanliness is sometimes an issue with second and third class tickets, and with toilets, too.
- If your train makes a lot of stops, in some cases it is difficult to figure out when to get off as stops are not always clearly announced or marked with the exception of an electronic screen.
Sri Lanka Railway Stations
MahoKekirawaKankesanthuraiHikkaduwaPeradeniyaKilinochchiNanu OyaTalaimannar PierRagamaMedawachchiyaJaffna Train StationDiyatalawaHingurakgodaGaloyaVavuniyaWellawatteChunnakamMaradanaValaichchenaiPolgahawelaEllaMataraMannarGalgamuwaKalutara SouthHali ElaNawalapitiyaAmbalangodaKurunegalaIdalgashinnaMount LaviniaBatticaloaKantaleBandarawelaGampolaAvissawellaKandyRambukkanaPalaiTrincomaleeAnuradhapuraTambalagamuwaOhiyaVeyangodaGreat WesternMoratuwaPattipolaDemodaraHabaranaHattonChina BayColombo FortBeliattaPolonnaruwaBadulla EllaHaputaleGalleAluthgamaKodikamamGampahaAmbewelaWelikandaEravur
Sri Lanka Railway Company Reviews
S C
Susil CBooking is ok. Travelled. But you have overcharged. Please refund the balance money
Train#11038 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Oct 8, 2026
N S
Neville SOnly receiving a voucher and not an actual eTicket was a bit inconvenient.
Train#44477 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Oct 4, 2026
B B
Bohumil BEverything clear, very helpful conductor
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Sep 26, 2026
A C
Amit CThe information provided by 12go is incorrect. Firstly there is no need to get the m ticket changed with physical ticket. And next the official timing of this train is 7:25 am and not 7:15 am. Lastly please reflect transparently fare details and your charges.
Train#8057 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Sep 20, 2026
O G
Oliver GTrain was on time and guard helped us find our carriage. Smooth journey and a clean train.
Train#101043 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Sep 18, 2026
K N
Karin NAir conditioning and a lot of space in fisrt class seat.
Train#44477 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Sep 13, 2026
Z G
Zane GRefund for a double purchase was made efficiently
Train#8057 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Sep 4, 2026
A G
ALFIE GThe train was 25 minutes late.
Train#111005 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Sep 2, 2026
W A
waseem AExcellent,, I have never been in trouble while using 12go , excellent
Train#111005 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 28, 2026
L A
Lynette ATrain ticket booked for a very reasonable price
Train#8058 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 19, 2026
M G
Manish GA beautiful and scenic journey.
Train#111006 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 18, 2026
L M
Lara Meverything was great, the AC was just a little too cold unfortunately
Train#7084 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 17, 2026
M G
Manish GWhat a lovely train ride. Gliding through the beautiful plains and valleys, the fresh air tickling your face and everyone snapping photos of every passing scene, it was such a treat.
Train#111006 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 16, 2026
M G
Manish GEverything is good, but however these reclining seats are not meant for an overnight journey. The seats are not comfortable and very stiff.
Train#7083 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 9, 2026
M T
Marco TAll good for booking a trainride with sri lankan train.
Train#444422 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 8, 2026
L G
lee GComfortable seats and air conditioned in my carriage
Train#44478 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 8, 2026
L G
lee GRelaxing trip in air conditioned 1st class carriage.
Train#44477 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Aug 5, 2026
T R
Trinity RAmazing way to travel and you also get lovely views along the way! Do be prepared for a crazy rush for seats when you get on the train, but I managed to find one with no issues. There isn’t a place to store luggage like a case, I had to use my legroom and put my feet on top, but great journey!
Train#6075 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 26, 2026
L S
Linus SWrong timetable, train arrived 35 minutes later in local timetable at station
Train#66011 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 22, 2026
S Z
Simona ZSo smooth, easy ticketing process and at the station. Staff made sure I was on the correct side on the platform
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 20, 2026
S W
Sally WAlways my go to when travelling. Very straightforward booking system.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 15, 2026
K Q
Karl QThe online booking of the train was very easy, fast and without any problem.
High recommendation!
Train#11016 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 15, 2026
M E
Mohammad EIt was very easy to book the ticket online. At the station it was good to already have the ticket and seats reservations. We had the best seats near the door and on the right side of the train. A beautiful ride!
Train#11005 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 12, 2026
D J
David JNo problem. Went smoothly.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jul 5, 2026
E L
Emma LSo easy to book rail tickets! Great way to travel.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jun 18, 2026
A A
Ameen AForgot to buy water and no water bottles were available at the station.. the ticket was sufficient to board the train and our passports were verified soon after boarding the train.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jun 9, 2026
A L
Andrew LNeed to sort out the ticketing. Absolute garbage when you buy more than one ticket and everyone is in different locations within the cabin.
This needs to be fixed badly.
The pdf was all that was needed. You don't need to get a ticket, just show the document.
Train#11005 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jun 8, 2026
G K
Gautam KThe trip was good but train was late by more than an hour.
Train#444422 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, May 29, 2026
N D
Nina Dtrain too uncomfortable. schedule not reliable.
Train#7084 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, May 8, 2026
A B
Anna BWas a great train and fun experience. Sad that we had to go out of our way to pick up a paper ticket when the email.pdf.was sufficient.
Train#11015 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, May 8, 2026
K A
Katherine ASmooth journey. Easy to find seat.
Train#444421 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Apr 22, 2026
T L
Tiggy LTrains in the UK are expensive, late and boring by comparison. We had a wonderful trip, enjoying the Sri Lankan countryside along the way.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Apr 2, 2026
T P
Theresa PIt was a nice Trip, but the Train stopped many times and was delayed (1 Hour)
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Mar 29, 2026
R Y
Rebecca YHonestly I did this as a solo female traveller with a huge backpack and it was so cheap, stunning views the entire way, had a seat (2nd class reserved), nice and cool with the windows down. I would just screenshot the stops to make sure you are staying on track as sometimes the train goes in one direction and then turns and goes the other way 😂 but honestly would definitely do again! Didn’t have to print the ticket or collect at the station. Ticket inspector carried my bag (and then asked for money lol) but overall, everyone is so kind and able to navigate
Train#66011 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Mar 19, 2026
T B
Trevor BGreat journey, comfortable seats (1st)
Train#6075 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Mar 16, 2026
G M
Graham MCheap and good easy to book
Train#8058 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Mar 10, 2026
J P
Judith PGreat seats. Lots of room. Air con in first class was good.
Amazing route along the coast.
Shane the windows were too dirty for photos
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Mar 7, 2026
A B
Alexey Beasy to book and pay, not needed to print tickets, just enter the 1st class train carriage... there are snacks in description, but it's wrong, no meals or snacks or bar, nothing of food available in train, buy snacks beforehand your trip
Train#8058 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Feb 28, 2026
K L
Kerry LFabulous train ride, we were in third class and it is absolutely fine with comfortable seats. And as a bonus the doors are left open, the windows open, there are fans on the ceiling and the scenery is stunning.
Train#6075 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Feb 17, 2026
J O
Johanna OVery comfortable in first class, loads of room, air conditioned carriage.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jan 31, 2026
J C
john CGreat no hassle website, trip went smoothly.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jan 31, 2026
L S
Larisa SGreat price, even if quite difficult to understand where to sit or where to deopp off.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jan 29, 2026
E Y
Earl YThe places were not optimal ... Many because of the late date I bought my tickets . We were up in front of the car , stuck against the cabin wall ...
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jan 13, 2026
J N
Jessica NThe trip took 45 minutes longer!
Train#44477 Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railway, Jan 12, 2026
M I
Matthew IReceived the Eticket and confirmation in a timely manner and the entire process from buying to getting on the train etc., was very smooth.
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Jan 10, 2026
R D
Rishabh DNo food provided and no seat together. Very dirty toilets with broken tap.
Train#8058 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Dec 16, 2025
M A
Mohammad AI jumped off two stations earlier and I literally need eto jump off the train to the railways as the station was to short for the train haha
But overall nice ride and the adventure directly started. To be fair the train in Germany isn’t better hahaha
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Dec 13, 2025
L M
Lea MIt would have been better, if I were able to pay on the local currency, because that would have been mich cheaper. And you didn't say that you would use your own conversion rate
Train#8058 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Dec 12, 2025
A S
Apal SClean, on time what else is needed in a train
Train#8056 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Dec 12, 2025
V O
Vedangi OVery unclean. When booking the tickets the website show you symbols of providing a meal which is
Train#1030 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railway, Nov 26, 2025