None of the trains in and out from the Fort Railway Station operated this morning due to the strike action launched from last night, Sri Lanka Freedom Railway Workers Association (SLFRWA) Secretary Nadeera Manoj said.

He said several trains including night mail trains which started their journeys before midnight yesterday had reached Colombo Fort this morning.

All the train stations around the country had been closed and none of the operations would be conducted, he said.

All the employees of the Railways department and the Fort Railway had stopped work and worked out of their relevant work stations, he said.

“We were not invited for any discussion with the ministry. No action had been taken still to sign the letter suspending the shunting driver who was caught under the influence of liquor while on duty,” Mr. Nadeera said.

All railway trade unions have decided to launch a strike from last night over the Transport Ministry’s failure to sign a letter suspending a shunting driver who was caught intoxicated while on duty.

Mr. Nadeera claimed that the driver was found driving a train under the influence of liquor on May 28. The GMR cannot take a direct decision to suspend him as he is a trade union leader. 

“Therefore, we requested the ministry to suspend the driver,” he said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)

Video by Damith, Sanjeewa