Addressing a media briefing held at the Ministry of Transport and Highways Auditorium at “Maganeguma Mahamedura,” Koswatta, Battaramulla, General Manager of Railways Ravindra Pathmapriya said the Northern Railway Line had been severely damaged due to the recent Cyclone Dithwa.
He stated that repair work would commence immediately and is scheduled to be completed before the upcoming Sinhala and Hindu New Year, ensuring that North–South rail services can resume normal operations by then.
According to the Railway Department, the Mahawa–Anuradhapura section will be temporarily closed from January 19, 2026. The Mahawa–Omantha railway section will be completely closed from January 26, 2026. Reconstruction work on the Medawachchiya–Talaimannar railway line will also begin from today.
As part of the renovation project, five railway bridges on the Mahawa–Omantha stretch are to be replaced. In addition, reconstruction work on the special tunnel built for the passage of wild elephants will be carried out concurrently.
Despite the closures, train services will continue to operate on alternative routes. The “Pulathisi Intercity Express” and “Udayadevi” trains will resume operations from January 20, while the Night Mail Train is scheduled to run up to Trincomalee.
The “Yalrani” train will operate between Anuradhapura and Kankesanthurai from January 19, 2026, and between Omantha and Kankesanthurai from January 27, 2026.
The media briefing was attended by Director of the Northern Railway Reconstruction Project Chinthaka Jayasekara, Chief Engineer of the Roads and Industries Division Priyantha Deegala, and Superintendent of Traffic Asanka Samarasinghe.
