The Railway Station Masters' Union (RSMU) claimed the current Railway administration had failed to implement a proper recovery plan after cyclone Ditwah, despite the railway sector being one of the worst affected State institutions in terms of financial and operational losses.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (23), the RSMU General Secretary, Kasun Chamara Jayasekara noted the Upcountry railway line played a major role in supporting the tourism industry and contributed to the country’s foreign exchange earnings, in addition to serving as the main mode of transport for thousands of public and private sector employees travelling daily from areas such as Kandy and Nawalapitiya to Colombo. "With train services suspended beyond Rambukkana on the Upcountry line, passengers have been forced to rely on road transport. The cost spent on a month of train travel is not sufficient to cover even three days of road transport. Commuters have faced serious psychological and economic difficulties due to this issue."

He further said the Government initially proposed constructing a new double bridge at Peradeniya after damage to the Upcountry railway line but later decided to reconstruct the old bridge instead. "The Railways Department had announced that train services would resume up to Kandy by April. Reconstruction work carried out by the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau had reached a certain stage before the Department's Engineering Technical Committee recommended halting the work. The Department has now decided to call for another technical report on the future of the bridge. This situation has left the restoration process uncertain."

Jayasekara further claimed there is currently no plan to begin repairs on the railway line between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa and alleged the Department has become ineffective due to an inability to make timely decisions despite functioning as an engineering-based institution. He accused the present General Manager (GM) of Railways, Ravindra Pathmapriya of treating train operations as unnecessary, charging that several essential activities including track maintenance, improving power sets, and expanding operations have been neglected. "Even plans made after Ditwah to operate parcel and freight trains on sections of the Puttalam line that remained operational had not materialised following a decision by the GM."

Claiming that Pathmapriya had been attempting to demonstrate the profitability of the Department by reducing train operations, he added that that was a flawed approach that had brought about adverse consequences for passengers. "Successive Governments have maintained railway services at concessional fares to ensure affordable public transport, with budgetary allocations provided to offset losses. The failure to consider alternative methods to reduce losses, and the GM’s unwillingness to seek or accept professional input from Departmental officials, has damaged the reputation of both the Government and the Department."

"This issue is due to appointing an officer from the Administrative Service (AS) as the GM instead of a professional with railway engineering expertise. We request the Transport Ministry to appoint a committee comprising retired Department engineers who previously served as GMs to guide reconstruction efforts and restore services at the earliest possible time," Jayasekara added.

When contacted by The Daily Morning regarding the allegations levelled by the RSMU, Pathmapriya said that the majority of train services across the country are functioning normally and that restoration work following Ditwah is progressing according to technical requirements. He said that apart from the Upcountry railway line, all other lines are currently operational. The Northern line, he noted, is undergoing rehabilitation under the Indian credit line and is expected to resume full operations within the first two weeks of April, ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. “Therefore, the claims made by the RSMU are not correct,” he said. Explaining the situation on the Upcountry line, he said that restoration work is being carried out in consultation with the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) due to landslide risks. "We are scheduled to receive the NBRO’s technical recommendations on 31 March. India has already agreed to provide assistance for the reconstruction under the credit line programme. There are still several high-risk locations. Repairs cannot begin until we receive the NBRO recommendations. Otherwise, any work done could become useless."

Pathmapriya also dismissed allegations that train operations had been reduced, outlining the current operational status of railway lines. He added that services on the Coastal line, the Kelani Valley line, the Puttalam line and the Eastern line are fully operational, with the Meenagaya train between Colombo Fort and Batticaloa resuming services from yesterday. "On the Northern line, trains currently operate up to Mahawa, and on the Upcountry line, services run up to Rambukkana, with operations also continuing between Badulla and Ambewela. We are operating the maximum number of trains possible under the existing conditions,” he said.

Addressing Union demands to increase train turns, he said that such requests are not practical when the passenger demand is insufficient. “If there are not enough passengers, operating additional trains serves no purpose."

Responding to criticism regarding his appointment from the SLAS, he acknowledged his background but said that it enables him to identify long standing administrative shortcomings. “There are many deficiencies that unions may not have noticed, and I am working to correct them. I am open to constructive dialogue with employees. We must remember that the railway exists to serve the people. I am here to serve the public and I am also prepared to listen to fair demands of employees. Even now, discussions are ongoing to resolve issues affecting them,” he said.