Sri Lanka Railways has announced the suspension of train services from Mahawa to Anuradhapura for one month to facilitate the replacement of 5 century-old railway bridges.

The new bridges, funded under an Indian loan package worth $15 million, have already been imported and are scheduled to be installed after the Poson Poya Festival.

Although the railway line was reopened in September last year following a $912.7 million upgrade, the signalling system remains incomplete, forcing trains to operate on a token-based system.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed with India soon to commence work on the signalling system, which could be completed by mid-2026.