-By A Staff Writer
(Lanka-e-News -24.March.2025, 11.30 PM) Picture this: You’ve just landed at Bandaranaike International Airport, excited for your tropical adventure in Sri Lanka. You step out of arrivals, eager to board a train that will whisk you into Colombo or perhaps even straight to the scenic highlands. But then—confusion. There’s a railway line. There’s even a train station. And yet, there’s no train. Welcome to Sri Lanka, where railway logic takes a holiday, and tourists are left scratching their heads.
It’s a mystery that baffles visitors time and time again. Why doesn’t the airport have a working train service? The infrastructure is there. The track is there. But the trains? Nowhere to be found.
One might assume the government simply forgot about it, but that would be too simple an explanation. The truth is far more intriguing—and frustrating. The real reason why an efficient train service has never materialized is the stranglehold of Sri Lanka’s notorious “taxi mafia.”
Yes, you read that right. Sri Lanka’s transportation sector is plagued by a ruthless network of taxi operators who function more like old-school gangsters than simple cab drivers. This is not an exaggeration—rideshare drivers from Uber and PickMe have been threatened, physically attacked, and even chased away from the airport. And it’s not just them. Any attempt to introduce a public transport alternative that might reduce reliance on taxis has been met with fierce resistance.
Remember the luxury bus service that was introduced to connect the airport to Colombo? It was abandoned after just four days. Why? Because the taxi syndicates saw it as a threat to their business and allegedly pressured authorities to shut it down. In an environment where even app-based taxi drivers struggle to operate safely, is it any surprise that a train service—an even bigger threat to these monopolies—has never gotten off the ground?
Instead of fixing the existing railway issue, Sri Lankan authorities have spent years dreaming about an extravagant Colombo Metro system. Now, don’t get us wrong—modern infrastructure projects are great. But when you already have an underutilized railway network, shouldn’t the priority be to improve and expand what’s already there?
The Katunayake railway line, which connects the airport to Colombo via Ragama, has been sitting idle for nearly 40 years. Restarting it wouldn’t require an astronomical investment. It’s a low-hanging fruit that could immediately improve transport connectivity for both tourists and locals. And yet, it remains abandoned while grander, costlier projects remain stuck in the planning phase.
Sri Lanka is blessed with one of the most breathtaking railway networks in the world. The train journeys from Colombo to Ella, Kandy, or Jaffna are legendary, offering stunning views of misty mountains, waterfalls, and lush tea plantations. Imagine if tourists could start that experience right from the airport—stepping onto a train that seamlessly connects them to the country’s wonders.
From Katunayake, tourists could board a train that takes them straight to the historic city of Kandy, the beaches of Galle, or even Jaffna in the north. Instead, they are left navigating chaotic taxi services, haggling over fares, and experiencing the worst of Sri Lanka’s transport inefficiencies before they’ve even left the airport parking lot.
Sri Lanka needs to get serious about its transport priorities. The first step? Restarting the Katunayake airport train service. It’s an easy win—economically, environmentally, and logistically.
Tourists want it. Locals need it. And the railway already exists. So, what’s stopping us? A handful of taxi operators who think they own the roads? If Sri Lanka truly wants to welcome millions of tourists and present itself as a modern, efficient destination, it’s time to stand up to these outdated transport monopolies and make real progress.
If Sri Lanka truly wants to position itself as a top-tier tourist destination, it needs to rethink its transport priorities. The tourism industry is one of the country’s biggest revenue generators, and providing seamless, efficient transport options should be a key focus.
Restarting the Katunayake airport train service wouldn’t just be a win for tourists—it would be a win for everyone. A fast, affordable, and environmentally friendly rail link would ease traffic congestion, support local businesses, and enhance Sri Lanka’s global image.
So here’s a plea to the powers that be: Stop ignoring the railway tracks that are already in place. Stop making tourists wonder why they can’t take a train from the airport like they would in any other country. Restart the Katunayake airport train service and let Sri Lanka’s railways become a true gateway to the island’s wonders.
Because right now, all we have is a railway to nowhere. And that’s not the welcome mat Sri Lanka should be rolling out for the world.
-By A Staff Writer
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by (2025-03-24 18:23:09)
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