The Department of Railways recently made a promising announcement: a new assistance programme, set to officially launch today (15). Under this initiative, railway staff will be on hand to provide special assistance to passengers with disabilities during the crucial moments of boarding and disembarking trains.
This new service is seen as a crucial interim measure, according to Sri Lanka Railways General Manager J.I.D. Jayasundara.
Jayasundara elaborated on the rationale behind this vital upgrade, noting: “The Railways Department already has a customer care number. However, we have received complaints regarding response times, which is why we decided to improve the system.”
He further underscored the department’s commitment to enhancing this fundamental service. “One of the key upgrades is adding support in all three languages. For that, we will be deploying officers to manage the lines,” he said. This linguistic accessibility alone marks a significant improvement, ensuring a broader spectrum of the population can effectively communicate their needs.
Recognising the specific requirements of passengers with disabilities, the scope of the hotline has been strategically expanded. “While upgrading the system, we also thought: why not include a dedicated service for passengers with disabilities?” Jayasundara stated.
“Such passengers often need assistance getting into the station, boarding the train, alighting, and navigating the destination station. Therefore, we have added another prompt to the hotline, allowing them to request help both at the departure and arrival stations,” he added.
This targeted approach aims to provide direct, on-the-ground support where it is most needed, reducing the stress and physical exertion often associated with rail travel for individuals with mobility challenges.
This development arrives amidst broader discussions within the Government, reflecting a collective push to enhance accessibility across all public transport sectors. As recently as January, the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport engaged in parliamentary discussions, underscoring the necessity of bolstering facilities for disabled commuters.
In response, the Railways Department committed to implementing additional measures beyond current provisions. These conversations signal a governmental recognition of systemic issues at play and a perceived willingness to act.
The disability community views these steps with cautious optimism. Disability Organisations Joint Front (DOJF) President Rasanjali Pathirage, a prominent disability rights activist, commended the initiative.
“The announcement by Sri Lanka Railways to establish a dedicated customer service for persons with disabilities is a welcome and much-needed step. It shows an acknowledgment of the challenges faced by people with disabilities in accessing public transport and signals a move towards more inclusive services,” she stated.
Pathirage also recognised the role of long-term advocacy, adding: “I commend the new Government and all those who have taken steps to implement this initiative, which comes as a result of our sustained advocacy efforts over the years.”
Infrastructural barriers
While the new hotline offers a valuable immediate solution, the path to a fully disability-friendly railway system is paved with complexities.
For decades, Sri Lanka’s railway infrastructure, much like its broader public transport network, has been designed primarily for the able-bodied. This historical oversight has created deeply entrenched physical and systemic barriers that cannot be overcome with a single programme or a solitary policy. The sheer scale of retrofitting and upgrading an entire national railway network, much of it decades or even a century old, presents formidable challenges.
One of the most glaring issues lies in the physical architecture of railway stations and train carriages. A seminal 2018 study, focusing on railway stations from Colombo to Gampaha, highlighted significant discrepancies in platform heights.
This seemingly minor detail creates monumental challenges for wheelchair users, often rendering independent boarding impossible. For instance, the gap between the train car floor and the platform edge can be substantial, requiring able-bodied assistance or risky manoeuvres.
Major hubs like Maradana and Fort, despite their prominence as central transport nodes, lack universal wheelchair access to all platforms. These force disabled travellers into convoluted detours, lengthy waits, or reliance on manual lifting by others, an undignified, often unsafe, and unpredictable practice.
The study further revealed that many train doorways, particularly on older S10 and S11 train types that still form a significant portion of the fleet, are simply too narrow for standard wheelchairs.
This fundamental design flaw means that even if a passenger can reach the platform, boarding the train itself remains an insurmountable hurdle without specialised ramps or modifications to the train compartments. Such solutions are conspicuously absent across much of the existing rolling stock, necessitating a complete overhaul or careful procurement of new, universally designed trains.
Beyond the immediate entry and exit points, the broader station environment often presents a maze of inaccessibility. The consistent lack of step-free, low-floor access points – a fundamental requirement for mobility-impaired individuals – remains a pervasive problem.
Many stations still rely entirely on stairs to move between platforms, effectively segregating disabled travellers. Accessible sanitary facilities are a rarity, as are functional ramps or lifts to navigate between different platforms. These force disabled passengers to contend with stairs, uneven surfaces, and a general lack of supportive infrastructure, transforming what should be a routine commute into an exhausting ordeal marked by dependence and discomfort.
Jayasundara acknowledged these structural limitations, stating that physical upgrades were a gradual process. “These changes are expensive and take time, so this hotline-based assistance is only an interim measure,” he said.
Attitudinal and informational gaps
Beyond physical infrastructure, information accessibility and human interaction pose significant barriers.
For visually impaired passengers, the lack of audible signals, clear station announcements, and accessible information systems like screen-reading apps creates a heightened sense of vulnerability. Similarly, hearing-impaired individuals lack essential visual indicator systems, large displays, and assistive listening devices across the network.
Moreover, disability advocacy groups report attitudinal barriers from some service providers, including railway staff. A common lack of patience, understanding, and awareness regarding proper assistance techniques remains disheartening.
This highlights the urgent need for comprehensive, mandatory training programmes for all railway personnel to foster a culture of empathy, respect, and effective assistance.
Policy and practice
Recognising these deep-seated issues, Sri Lanka has established a legal framework aimed at ensuring accessibility. The Disabled Persons (Accessibility) Regulations No.1 of 2006 stand as a cornerstone of this framework.
These regulations are comprehensive, mandating accessibility for all public buildings, public places, and common services, including railway stations. They lay down specific requirements for essential facilities such as accessible parking, well-maintained pathways, ramps with appropriate gradients, functional lifts, wide doorways, and accessible toilets.
Furthermore, the regulations stipulate that the State must provide a minimum of 10% of public transportation that is accessible to people with disabilities, complete with detailed specifications for design and safety measures.
The National Policy on Disability of 2003 further reinforces this commitment, aiming to promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities and emphasising their full inclusion in the socio-economic mainstream.
Sri Lanka’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2016 further strengthens its legal and moral obligation to ensure inclusive services and institutional development, aligning national efforts with international human rights standards.
However, a significant gap remains between policy and practice. A parliamentary sub-committee meeting on transport in April highlighted widespread non-compliance with the 2006 accessibility regulations.
Disability advocates stressed that despite the notification, many institutions disregarded these mandates, emphasising the critical need for effective implementation over mere legislative reform. Issues such as the discontinuance of driving licences for individuals with hearing impairments further underscored these systemic challenges.
To bridge this gap, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) is proactively training disability access audit teams at a district level. Critically, these teams include individuals with various disabilities, whose lived experiences offer invaluable insights that traditional assessments might miss.
These audits, conducted across 18 districts in all nine provinces, aim to identify accessibility gaps in Government institutions, including railway stations, and provide concrete recommendations for enhanced infrastructure and stricter enforcement.
Future prospects
Looking ahead, the commitment to improving public transport for persons with disabilities appears to be gaining momentum.
The 2025 Budget, as outlined by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in February, allocates significant funds for public transport upgrades. While much of this focuses on bus services and new luxury coaches, Rs. 500 million has been earmarked for the renovation of existing train compartments and Rs. 250 million for the local manufacturing of new compartments.
This presents a crucial opportunity to integrate universal design principles and accessibility features into railway rolling stock from the outset, rather than costly retrofits later.
Furthermore, plans to extend the Kelani Valley line, though in early stages, should also be meticulously planned with accessibility at its core, ensuring new infrastructure is built right from the start.
Providing further details on these future plans for both rolling stock and stations, Jayasundara confirmed that when procuring new trains, they had explicitly requested features such as wider doors, closable doors, and air conditioning – enhancements that indirectly benefited accessibility and comfort for all passengers.
The Sri Lanka Railways General Manager also noted ongoing efforts to raise platform heights at several stations in order to facilitate easier boarding, directly addressing one of the major physical barriers.
Specifically, he mentioned the ongoing procurement of five Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs). “It’s still at an early stage; the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) has made its recommendations and we are awaiting approval. Each unit will include an engine and approximately five coaches. These train sets will come with wider doors and other improved features for accessibility,” he said.
Regarding station upgrades, Jayasundara stated: “That’s an ongoing process. We allocate funding annually to improve station infrastructure. For instance, this year we are working on upgrading five or six stations, including raising platform levels and improving station facilities. Ramps are part of those upgrades.”
Despite being unable to provide a precise timeline for making all stations disability-friendly due to various factors including funding, he assured that accessibility features would be included in any new or renovated station. He emphasised that the goal was to “gradually introduce such facilities across the network” through annual plans.
A call for holistic change
The disability community views these steps with cautious optimism, pushing for comprehensive and sustained action.
DOJF President Pathirage offered a critical perspective on what constituted truly disability-friendly transport. “The announcement by Sri Lanka Railways to establish a dedicated customer service for persons with disabilities is a welcome and much-needed step,” she stated.
However, she added a vital caveat: “Its true impact will depend on how effectively it is implemented and whether the service includes staff trained in disability inclusion and accessible communication, such as sign language.”
This highlights the importance of well-trained personnel and inclusive communication methods, like sign language interpreters or text-based services for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Pathirage underscored the need for broader, systemic improvements beyond just a hotline. “Several key improvements are needed,” she asserted. These include fundamental infrastructure upgrades, such as accessible platforms, ramps, elevators, and tactile paving for the visually impaired, essential for independent navigation.
She also stressed the necessity of accessible trains, with designated seating, wide doors, and audible/visual announcements, while ensuring that the vehicles themselves were universally designed.
Beyond the physical, she emphasised the need for trained staff, including those familiar with assisting passengers with different disabilities, and crucially, regular consultation with disability advocacy groups to ensure the services met real needs. This underscores the fact that solutions must be user-centric and co-created with the community they aim to serve.
The challenge of cost impediments is also a significant point of discussion. Pathirage offered strategic solutions to overcome this often-cited barrier. “While cost is a genuine concern, accessibility should be viewed as an investment in equity and social inclusion,” she argued, reframing the expenditure from a burden to a societal benefit.
Her recommendations include phased implementation, prioritising high-traffic stations and routes in order to maximise impact with limited resources. She further advocated seeking Public-Private Partnerships and international donor support, especially from organisations focused on inclusive development, leveraging external resources to accelerate progress.
Crucially, Pathirage stressed the importance of incorporating universal design in all new infrastructure to avoid costly retrofitting later. This ‘build it right the first time’ philosophy is key to long-term sustainability and cost-effectiveness. She also suggested policy incentives to encourage private transport operators to become more accessible, extending the principle of accessibility beyond State-run services.
Finally, she advocated inclusive budgeting, ensuring disability access was part of mainstream transport planning, instead of being treated as an add-on, thereby embedding accessibility as a core consideration rather than an afterthought.
Pathirage concluded by emphasising broader societal benefits: “Making transport systems accessible benefits not just persons with disabilities but also the elderly, pregnant women, and travellers with temporary injuries. It is a step towards a more equitable and compassionate society.”
The newly launched assistance hotline (1971) serves as a practical, immediate lifeline, offering a direct point of contact for disabled passengers. However, as Pathirage noted, its true impact will depend on how effectively it is implemented.
While essential, such programmes are ultimately supplementary. The long-term vision must be to create a railway system where accessibility is inherent, where a person with a disability can confidently and independently navigate stations and board trains without prior arrangements or external assistance.