• Bus services prioritised
• Highways declared safe for travel but not A1 Col.-Kandy

The Transport and Highways Ministry has stated there will be no immediate action to reconstruct damaged railway lines, with the current priority being to maximise transportation along routes unaffected by the recent disaster. Also, the Ministry is yet to calculate the damage to the rail network.

The Deputy Transport and Highways Minister, Dr. Prasanna Gunasena told The Daily Morning that train services are currently operating only on confirmed safe routes, and that those routes have been announced. "No immediate action has been taken so far on the damaged railway tracks," Dr. Gunasena emphasised. "The entire focus is to make the transportation more efficient using the rest of the routes that are not consumed by the disaster."

He added that a full damage assessment and reconstruction agenda would be developed only after the disaster situation has concluded. 

Meanwhile, to address the public's urgent travel needs, the Ministry is shifting its focus to road transport. "Maximum action will be taken to confirm that the public is provided with the transportation facilities with the buses," he stated. He reported that immediate efforts are underway to clear blocked roads, with work crews having made significant progress as of 30 November. "More buses were in service yesterday (01) than on 30 November," he assured. Regarding the safety of the highway road network, Dr. Gunasena confirmed that no severe damage was reported on major highways. He stressed that buses will not run on any route if even a minor risk is estimated. "For instance, the sections of the A1 Colombo–Kandy highway will be fully opened to the public once the risk is totally gone," he concluded.