Great Railway:

Journeys of the World

We carry below a follow-up story to the Badulla railway sent to us by a reader, Nithuli Subasinghe which appeared on September 22.

The main railway line from Colombo to Badulla, 300 km or 180 miles in length, ranks as one of the "Great Railway Journeys of the World". It offers breathtaking and spectacular views that are considered to be unparalleled beauty of Sri Lanka. The amazing diversity of landscapes, climate, geographical elevations, and mist clad mountains, valleys and waterfalls are found along the route. The magnificent railway via ducts, bridges and tunnels are examples for impressive engineering feats.

The history of the rail track of Sri Lanka dates back to August 3, 1858 when the British governor, Sir Henry Ward cut the first sod to construct the railway line to Kandy. The track was laid by the colonial rulers, in response to repeated requests made by the European planters to transport their produce for export to the UK as shipment had to be done in Colombo. It then took almost 12 days for a bullock cart to make the marathon journey, 72 miles from Colombo to Kandy.

The first 74 mile section was the first line built in Sri Lanka. It was opened to Ambepussa in 1864 and then to Kandy in 1867. The line extended in stages with a short spur from Peradeniya junction into Kandy to Nawalapitiya in 1874, to Nanu-Oya in 1885, to Bandarawela in 1894, and to Badulla in 1924.

The train journey from Colombo to Kandy starts at a 14 feet elevation in Colombo and runs up to Rambukkana, some 85 km away through almost flat country with the views of rice cultivation in various stages, coconut palms and charming villages of the countryside. The train then begins to ascend Kadugannawa incline, the climb of 1,400 ft in 13 miles which is considered as a major engineering marvel.

The railway line from Balana and Kadugannawa railway stations is fitted to an 18 ft ledge of rock on one side.

As the train takes the bend under the 'Lions Mouth' (overhanging rock resemblance to the face of a lion), an exciting view of a steep drop into the valley is found.

The maximum speed on this stretch is 32 km/ph. The Balana Pass through which the train ascends to Kadugannawa was a strategic military point during the period of ancient kings, to keep watch over the enemies who tried to infiltrate in to the kingdom of Kandy.

Throughout the climb the views are magnificent, including the flat-topped Bible Rock and Utuwankanda Castle Rock where Saradiel, the Robin Hood of Ceylon, had his hideout to screen the movements of carriages over the low lands.

From Kadugannawa at (1,700 ft) , the line drops gently to Peradeniya at 1,553 ft crossing the Mahaweli, Sri Lanka's longest river and then rises again to a height of 1,602 ft at Kandy.

The Colombo - Kandy railway is a masterpiece of railway engineering which took nine years to complete. The sensational information behind this achievement was that many lives were lost during the construction. The death toll through malaria was heavy and labour was hard to find. There were unforeseen delays due to monsoon rains, floods and landslides.

The train journey continues to climb from the Peradeiniya Junction through the scenic tea country, connecting main local market centres at Gampola, Nawalapitiya and Hatton before reaching Nanu-Oya at a height of 5291 ft.

The real Ghat Section begins beyond Nawalapitiya and the train climbs to the mountains with a steep gradient and tight curves for 53 miles passing through a number of bridges, culverts and many tunnels.

The extension is one of the finest stretches of scenery including the St Clair Falls, Devon Falls, the magnificent mountain range of Great Western and the spectacular mountain valley of Nuwara Eliya. The famous Adams Peak (Sri Pada) can also be seen in between.

Among the tunnels on this stretch is the longest Pool bank tunnel between Hatton and Kotagala, which is 1,842 ft. long, with a curvature in the middle so that from one end the other end is not seen.

The train, after making a big loop, eventually reaches Nanu-Oya, the station for Nuwara Eliya at 6,199 ft, the highest city in Sri Lanka renowned for its cool and healthy climate.

The train continues its ascent from Nanu-Oya passing through the forest flanked by Conical Hill and later greater mountains of Hakkagala on to the 'Summit' level of 6226 ft above sea level, 3/4 mile beyond the Pattipola Station.

This is considered to be a major engineering feat and the highest point reached by a 5' 6" broad gauge railway line in the world.

More of this magical train journey next week.