Sri Lanka Railways
- About
- Popular Routes
- Stations
- Reviews
- Schedule and Timetable
About Sri Lanka Railways
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 Railways 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 Railways?
The main stations covered by Sri Lanka Railways’s route map include
- Hikkaduwa
- Polonnaruwa
- Colombo Fort
- Jaffna Train Station
- Matara
- Anuradhapura
- Galle
- Maradana
- Kurunegala
- Trincomalee
- Gampaha
- Maho
- Siyabalangamuwa
- Parasangahawewa
- Meegoda
- Colombo Airport
- Wellawatta
- Talaimannar Pier
- Wewrukannala
- Diyatalawa
- Aukana
- Muttettugala
- Nanuoya
- Watagoda
- Valaichchenai
- Galaboda
- Balana
- Kotagala
- Horiwila
- Batticaloa
- Pothuhara
- Talawa
- Meesalai
- Weligama
- Padukka
- Ohiya
- Ambepussa
- Kadugannawa
- Cotta Road
- Ariviyal Nagar
- Talawakelle
- Mirissa
- Badulla Ella
- Palugaswewa
- Abanpola
- Aluthgama
- Punani
- Nagollagama
- Ambewela
- Welikanda
- Eravur
- Kekirawa
- Ranamukgama
- Baseline
- Murunkan
- Peradeniya
- Sankathanai
- Pesalai
- Kilinochchi
- Nanu Oya
- Ihalakotte
- Colombo City Limits
- Sevanapitiya
- Eliphant Pass
- Kinigama
- Heel Oya
- Ihalawatawala
- Negama
- Radella
- Thambuttegama
- Ella Any Hotel
- Mount Lavinia
- Nugegoda
- Tellipallai
- Wellawa
- Mirigama
- Kital Ella
- Ambanpola
- Kalawewa
- Rambukkana
- Kottawa
- Rozella
- Pallai
- Great Western
- Heeloya
- Hatton
- Paranthan
- Thandikulam
- Beliatta
- Makumbura
- Talawakele
- Inguru Oya
- Uduwara
- Alawwa
- Ragama
- Moragollagama
- Vavuniya
- Hingurakgoda
- Mirusuvil
- Waga
- Chunnakam
- Koshinna
- Mannar
- Galgamuwa
- Kalutara South
- Mankulam
- Mallakam
- Nawalapitiya
- Idalgashinna
- Colombo Any Hotel
- Gampola
- Poonewa
- Homagama
- Kandy
- Watawala
- Veyangoda
- Ganewatta
- Kamburugamuwa
- Murikandy
- Maharagama
- Madhu Road
- Perakumpura
- Haputale
- Narahenpita
- Eluthumattuval
- Pilimathalawa
- Tembiligala
- Puwakpitiya
- Kankesanthurai
- Manampitiya
- Chavakachcheri
- Senarathgama
- Talaimannar
- Navatkuli
- Galoya
- Thatchchanthoppu
- Kosgama
- Ella
- Ulapane
- Matale
- Avissawella
- Medawachchiya
- Cheddikulam
- Ahangama
- Kadigamuwa
- Shrawasthipura
- Habarana
- Puliyankulam
- Polgahawela
- Bandarawela
- Pattipola
- Ambalangoda
- Demodara
- Badula
- Hali Ela
- Gelioya
- Medawachchiya
- Kodikamam
- Rideethenna
What are the Most Popular Routes of Sri Lanka Railways?
Here are some of the routes offered by Sri Lanka Railways which enjoy the greatest popularity with travellers:
- Colombo - Jaffna
- Colombo - Trincomalee
- Ambewela - Ella
- Jaffna - Colombo
- Trincomalee - Colombo
- Colombo - Batticaloa
- Batticaloa - Colombo
- Colombo - Galle
- Nanu Oya - Ella
- Galle - Colombo
- Colombo - Anuradhapura
- Ella - Ambewela
- Badulla - Ella
- Ella - Badulla
- Ambewela - Badulla
- Colombo - Hikkaduwa
- Colombo - Habarana
- Colombo - Polonnaruwa
- Matara - Colombo
- Colombo - Matara
- Colombo - Vavuniya
- Anuradhapura - Colombo
- Haputale - Ella
- Ella - Haputale
- Ella - Nanu Oya
- Ambewela - Demodara
- Badulla - Ambewela
- Colombo - Weligama
- Nanu Oya - Badulla
- Colombo - Pasikudah
- Colombo - Mirissa
- Anuradhapura - Jaffna
- Nanu Oya - Demodara
- Badulla - Nanu Oya
- Habarana - Colombo
- Weligama - Colombo
- Ambewela - Haputale
- Haputale - Ambewela
- Haputale - Badulla
- Ohiya - Ella
- Bandarawela - Demodara
- Nanu Oya - Haputale
- Demodara - Ambewela
- Bandarawela - Ella
- Mirissa - Colombo
- Hikkaduwa - Colombo
- Aluthgama - Colombo
- Pattipola - Ella
- Ahangama - Colombo
- Colombo - Beliatta
- Colombo - Aluthgama
- Beliatta - Colombo
- Colombo - Kekirawa
- Kekirawa - Colombo
- Ella - Ohiya
- Gampaha - Anuradhapura
- Haputale - Demodara
- Colombo - Kurunegala
- Demodara - Nanu Oya
- Badulla - Pattipola
- Jaffna - Anuradhapura
- Colombo - Polgahawela
- Badulla - Haputale
- Demodara - Bandarawela
- Galle - Hikkaduwa
- Demodara - Ella
- Ella - Demodara
- Colombo - Ahangama
- Pasikudah - Colombo
- Haputale - Bandarawela
- Demodara - Haputale
- Badulla - Ohiya
- Bandarawela - Ambewela
- Hikkaduwa - Mirissa
- Galle - Matara
- Kurunegala - Anuradhapura
- Veyangoda - Polonnaruwa
- Ambewela - Bandarawela
- Polonnaruwa - Veyangoda
- Diyatalawa - Demodara
- Hali Ela - Ella
- Galle - Mirissa
- Polonnaruwa - Colombo
- Colombo - Maho
- Nanu Oya - Bandarawela
- Galle - Ahangama
- Colombo - Ambalangoda
- Ahangama - Galle
- Diyatalawa - Pattipola
- Ahangama - Aluthgama
- Colombo - North Western Province
- Batticaloa - Habarana
- Mirigama - Kekirawa
- Gampaha - Kurunegala
- Habarana - Mirigama
- Bandarawela - Nanu Oya
- Ambewela - Hunas Falls
- Weligama - Ambalangoda
- Kankesanthurai - Kurunegala
- Anuradhapura - North Western Province
What are the Train Classes & Prices of Sri Lanka Railways?
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 Railways Stations
MahoSiyabalangamuwaParasangahawewaMeegodaColombo AirportWellawattaHikkaduwaTalaimannar PierWewrukannalaDiyatalawaAukanaMuttettugalaNanuoyaWatagodaValaichchenaiGalabodaBalanaKotagalaHoriwilaBatticaloaPothuharaTalawaMeesalaiWeligamaPadukkaOhiyaAmbepussaKadugannawaCotta RoadAriviyal NagarTalawakelleMirissaPolonnaruwaBadulla EllaPalugaswewaAbanpolaAluthgamaPunaniNagollagamaAmbewelaWelikandaEravurKekirawaRanamukgamaRideethennaBaselineMurunkanPeradeniyaSankathanaiPesalaiKilinochchiNanu OyaIhalakotteColombo City LimitsSevanapitiyaEliphant PassKinigamaHeel OyaIhalawatawalaNegamaRadellaThambuttegamaAmbalangodaElla Any HotelMount LaviniaNugegodaTellipallaiWellawaBandarawelaMirigamaKital EllaAmbanpolaKalawewaRambukkanaKottawaRozellaPallaiGelioyaGreat WesternPattipolaHeeloyaHattonParanthanThandikulamColombo FortBeliattaMakumburaTalawakeleInguru OyaUduwaraKodikamamAlawwaRagamaMoragollagamaJaffna Train StationVavuniyaHingurakgodaMirusuvilWagaChunnakamKoshinnaMataraMannarGalgamuwaKalutara SouthMankulamMallakamNawalapitiyaIdalgashinnaColombo Any HotelGampolaPoonewaHomagamaKandyAnuradhapuraWatawalaVeyangodaGanewattaDemodaraKamburugamuwaMurikandyMaharagamaMadhu RoadPerakumpuraHaputaleGalleNarahenpitaEluthumattuvalPilimathalawaTembiligalaPuwakpitiyaKankesanthuraiManampitiyaChavakachcheriMedawachchiyaSenarathgamaTalaimannarNavatkuliGaloyaThatchchanthoppuMaradanaKosgamaPolgahawelaEllaUlapaneHali ElaMataleKurunegalaAvissawellaTrincomaleeMedawachchiyaCheddikulamAhangamaKadigamuwaShrawasthipuraHabaranaPuliyankulamGampahaBadula
Sri Lanka Railways Company Reviews
L S
Lynn STickets were posted to our accommodation so easy to pick up, good coordination though out. Train ride was lovely
Train#1015 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 15, 2026
S C
Stephen CGenerally great but strangely we were given two aisle seats on opposite sides of the train despite the window seat next to mine of them being empty the whole journey. There was no option to allow us to request seats next to each other, not which side of the train we might wish to sit on. I do appreciate 12Go is an intermediary and matters may be outside of their control though.
Train#1005 3rd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 13, 2026
A D
Andreia DIt was a great trip with very beautiful landscapes.
The operators was very careful with us till the end of the trip.
Very good service.
Train#4077 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 10, 2026
K H
KERRY HSo pleased we could down load ticket in advance if our trip
Train#4021 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Jul 28, 2026
C R
Christina RThank you 👍. We had a seamless journey and experience.
Train#1005 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Jul 27, 2026
B V
Bas VThe communication with Stef Lanka is very helpfull and quick. Reacted in a couple of minutes, informed about changes and thought about solutions. I really recommend this company!
Train#1016 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Jul 18, 2026
N M
Nele MBeautiful
Train#1015 Luxury, Sri Lanka Railways, Jul 17, 2026
A R
Ann RCaught the train from Nanuoya as this leg is now open, even though I had booked from Ambewella. No additional cost. Views were amazing. Friendly, community atmosphere. Loved it.
Train#1015 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Jul 14, 2026
S F
SYED FThe bogey was excellent. I’d recommend Second Class Reserved seats for an overall good experience.
p.s. seeing the scenic beauty for 2 hours hypnotises human brain, so keep minds focused to take all belongings before leaving the train, as those might be kept at overhead compartments.
Train#1015 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Jul 1, 2026
I N
ignatius NEasy
Train#1043 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Jun 6, 2026
W D
Wolfgang DIt all worked out fine! Excellent support provided.
Train##4021 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, May 25, 2026
B B
Bill BFantastic views and the staff was extremely friendly and very insightful about the history, the views and the sites
Train#1016 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, May 24, 2026
A C
A CDue to recent weather events our original trip had to be cancelled and rebooked. The local handling agent was very helpful and informative and went above and beyond to ensure new tickets were secured for us. She called me to explain the process and arranged for new tickets to be delivered to our hotel. Five star service. Thank you.
Train#1015 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Dec 29, 2025
A A
Alain AVery nice trip by train from COLOMBO to BELIATTA with an E-ticket booked with 12go.com.
Train#8056 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 27, 2025
S M
Shantilal MVery good service by 12go app for srilanka railway journey. I have booked 4 observation vagon class, it's excellent experience by 12go.
Train#1007 Observation First Vagon, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 26, 2025
F B
Fiona BGreat to get the tickets by email .. was totally hassle free , and worth paying a bit extra for that . Only small downside was that our seats were both aisle seats , so neither was by the window . Would have preferred seats together .
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 18, 2025
J M
Joan MCinf
Train#1005 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 15, 2025
J K
Julie KIt was very easy to buy our tickets online and they were delivered at our first hotel.
The train wasn't very busy because of the low season.
Train#1005 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 15, 2025
R B
Riccardo BSuper drive in the Firstclass with A/C.
Train#1005 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 13, 2025
K H
Katie HThe train journey is so beautiful and booking the ticket was very easy. We had third class reserved - the seats are quite tightly packed in groups of six or four so you’re all sat very close. 2nd class is rows of two seats so would have been more comfortable. It’s easy to get up walk in the carriage though
Train#1005 3rd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 12, 2025
P E
Patrick EEverything worked perfectly, information by your customer support excellent!
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 8, 2025
T E
Teresa EGreat service. Most trains we wanted in Sri Lanka booked, those that couldn't be booked totally refunded. Also, train tickets delivered to our accommodation in Sri Lanka well on time. I totally recommend using this company because of the good service and communication throughout. 5 stars from me.
Train#1005 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Oct 6, 2025
J C
Jeanette CBooking was very easy via the website. Emails confirmed booking when ticketing opened. We had our tickets delivered to our accommodation without any problems at all. A very smooth process.
Train#1016 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 27, 2025
G A
Gary AThe booking process on 12go.asia was easy to follow and the confirmation instructions easy to understand.
Our train tickets were confirmed and hard tickets delivered to our hotel along with confirmation of who at the property received them.
All in all, the procedure was seamless and worked very well.
Train#1015 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 19, 2025
V M
Vita MWe booked our train tickets from Kandy to Ella. Everything was perfect. Tickets were delivered before our arrival to our hotel in Kandy. 👌
Train#1005 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 16, 2025
A M
Alan MTickets delivered to our hotel ready for us to collect on arrival.
We booked first class tickets well in advance, bit disappointed we didn’t get a window seat between us.
Train#1023 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 16, 2025
M C
Mucahit CGood and efficient service. Tickets were delivered to the hotel as requested. Highly recommended way of purchasing train tickets in Sri Lanka.
Train#1007 Observation First Vagon, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 13, 2025
F L
Frank LEverything worked very well, the communication and the service were excellent. Thank you very much 😊
Train#1005 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 13, 2025
G W
Gregory WExcellent train journey from Nuwara Eliya to Ella.
Train#1126 Observation, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 11, 2025
G O
gordon OIncredibly slow trip. Could have walked quicker
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Sep 6, 2025
J B
Jean-Pierre BPerfect ticket delivered on time at the hotel
Train#1008 Observation First Vagon, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 30, 2025
Y H
Yvette HWe bought two train tickets from Kandy to Ella. First our tickets where ok, a few days latere rl
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 28, 2025
J M
James MThe train was 90 minutes late which meant we travelled the final section to Ella in the dark, missing the apparently lovely views.
The train was grubby, the seats very uncomfortable and the toilet filthy. For a person with painful back problems the erratic stopping and starting of the train, the sudden lurches forward and back, were most unhappy. However the staff were friendly, the many food salesmen were too.
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 26, 2025
D S
Delia Si was sold tickets for private sleeping berth compartements. There were no beds and no private compartments - it was a "normal" train crriage with seats. I have complained to 12Go, but I have heard nothing from them.
Train#6080 First Class Sleeping Berths, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 24, 2025
A C
Aina CThe train ride was beautiful and I got lucky to have a window on my seat (you can get none). The price I had to pay at this website for the ticket “12go.asia” is a scam for turists. The price I paid ($52) was ridiculous when the tickets are actually super cheap and you can buy them once in Sri Lanka ($5).
Furthermore, the company changed my first option for a train of 4h ride instead of 2h, 2hours earlier than I wanted and made me pay an extra $15 for it. And I bought it as earlier as possible a month before. They made a mistake on 1 number on my passport and my guide had to talk to the inspector to fix it.
Good that they brought the tickets at my hotel on time when I got there.
The train ride is worth it. Don’t miss it!
Train#1126 Observation, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 23, 2025
C D
Cornelis DFirst train tickets were cancelled. Than for additional fee we could get the tickets. Then 2 out of 5 passport numbers were incorrect. It cost an additional fee we had to pay at the train station to correct this. Skip 12go.asia
Train#1015 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 22, 2025
M G
Maria GThey change train and orary
Train#1016 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 19, 2025
L D
Lubina DThe booking was made with tha pasport number of the touroperator so i had to buy another ticket. This ticket was three times cheaper than the proce asked by 12Go. I boiler through 12Go because a month ago it was very difficult to buy tickets at the train station due to bad organisation but that has been solved now. So best to buy tickets at tha station the sae day you want to travel.
Train#1006 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 19, 2025
A
Abbie 3rd class reserved service through Sri Lanka. Was oddly better than 2nd class. 10 mins late (which is actually not bad) smooth service. People popping on & off with food to buy
Train#1006 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 17, 2025
S R
Sabine RBook the Train Tickets via 12go. Great service! Thank you very much.
Train#1015 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 17, 2025
A S
Angela SToo expensive. Thankfully they change the system and all the bookers cant block all seats in advance.
Train#1027 Ella Odyssey Second Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 17, 2025
C P
Christoph PTickets was sent to a Hotel in Sri Lanka, everything worked well
Train#1127 Ella Odyssey Second Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 16, 2025
A P
Anita PWe booked first class tickets for the train from Kandy to Ella. They delivered them to our hotel in Colombo before our arrival. Everything was perfect, although I had doubts because of some bad reviews.
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 15, 2025
T U
Thomas UThis Train was not first Class
Train#1019 First Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 14, 2025
L S
Lynne SThis was an incredible journey and so picturesque. The fact that you could stand in the vestibule and see the scenery was just unforgettable.
Train#1015 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 14, 2025
M S
Maarten Sfantastic views. a great experience.
Train#1005 2nd Class Reserved Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 13, 2025
R Q
Rosemary QWe had to board the train one stop later than planned to make it easier for the newly imposed passport checks to be carried out. The Sri Lankan Government now requires the passport number on the ticket to match the passport number of the traveller. Two out of three matched on our tickets and we were lucky that we were allowed on the train. We saw larger groups of passengers being refused entry or being removed from the train. The mis-match between tickets and passenger ID is a big deal that the ticket agents need to sort out.
Train#1005 1st Class Seat, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 11, 2025
L W
Laura WWe booked 2x 3rd class reserved train tickets from Kandy to Ella via 12go, around 32 days in advance of our trip. We received confirmation about 25 days prior to our trip that our tickets had been secured. We requested that the tickets be delivered to our accomodation in Kandy. We changed our accommodation just after receiving confirmation of our tickets had been- as we needed 12go to be aware of this, I contacted them via WhatsApp and Email - they replied promptly and there was no issue changing the delivery address. Once the tickets were delivered to the accommodation a few days prior to our trip, I received an email/photo confirming this. The tickets were at the accommodation when we arrived, with no issues. The train trip went very smoothly! Overall great experience with 12go
Train#1005 Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 11, 2025
F A
Femmie AQuick respons, nice contact..
Train#1008 Observation First Vagon, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 9, 2025
F D
FERNANDO DI was with my daughter, and we receive the 38th and 39th sits. They were separated (the 39th is one sit dedicated to people with mobility problema),so I could not sit with my daughter. I was asking other people to do me a favour but It was difficult.
Train#1041 Ella Odyssey Third Class Reserved Seats, Sri Lanka Railways, Aug 8, 2025