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Railway staff defy orders and send trains to Colombo 

14 Jul 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera Despite instructions from the Railway Department management to halt trains that were running towards Colombo midway, following the imposition of curfew in the Western Province by acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday (13), the station masters, train guards, and locomotive drivers took steps to operate the trains to the Colombo Fort Railway Station. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, the Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union (SLRSMU) General Secretary Kasun Chamara said: “Following the imposition of the curfew and the declaration of emergency, the department had earlier decided to operate trains to their destinations. However, suddenly, the department instructed the station masters, train guards, and locomotive drivers to stop the trains that were running towards Colombo, midway, saying that the department had been told to do so by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Transport Ministry Secretary.” However, he said that stopping trains without reaching their destination is a serious injustice to the passengers, as well as a violation of their fundamental rights. Therefore, Chamara said that the SLRSMU had given instructions to its members to operate trains to Colombo Fort, taking into account the passengers’ wellbeing and the security of the department’s staff and properties.  “We, as the SLRSMU, decided to operate trains to their destinations, and our decision was supported by the locomotive drivers and train guards too. We want to emphasise that this decision was taken because we did not want to inconvenience thousands of passengers. As there are only a limited number of buses and there is no fuel needed for private vehicles, the halting of train operations in the way that the department had instructed would have caused tense situations, as we have experienced in recent times,” he added. Meanwhile, the people who had gathered at railway stations last evening had damaged the properties of several railway stations due to the delays in the operation of trains. Commenting on such incidents, the SLRSMU urged the public to not act in such a manner, as it is the authorities who are making such decisions, and that the department’s staff is always seeking to provide the passengers with continuous services. On 9 July, the day of the massive protests that led to the people taking over control of the President;s House, the Presidential Secretariat, and the Temple Trees, Railway Department General Manager Dhammika Jayasundara had instructed the staff of the department to suspend train services, allegedly on the instructions received from the Defence Ministry, under the President and the Transport Ministry.  


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