Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) is experiencing a crisis with the institute making it known that 8000 vacancies need to be filled to provide an optimum service, according to a leading Sinhala daily newspaper.

According to a spokesman of the Railway Engine Drivers’ Association the institute needs a total work force of 23,000 and the mentioned number of vacancies exists in many departments; the voids to be filled are for the posts of station master, assistant driver and watcher among other vacancies. 

The train remains as one of the most preferred modes of transport for both local and foreign commuters. Just after the war concluded in 2009 the regime initiated a 10-year plan to uplift SLR. The railway development strategy included the order of diesel multiple units. A high point in the programme was the recommencing of the Yal Devi train in 2014 which transported goods and passengers between Colombo and Jaffna. Different regimes have tried their hands at improving transport facilities, but the Rajapaksa regimes have remained supreme in this endeavour. 

Seasoned travellers would vouch that Sri Lanka’s aesthetic features can be best witnessed during a train journey through the dotted railroad map. Much of this railroad was constructed by the British largely for the transportation of tea and coffee. From a slow and steady start in 1864 the Ceylon Railways expanded and soon had lines running to Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Nanu Oya, Bandarawela and Badulla. There were ‘major extensions’ to Baticaloa and Trincomalee (1928), but nothing significant after that. 

After the war successive governments tried their hand at uplifting the railways. It’s said to note that there were irregularities during development/construction of the railways under the Yahapalana regime; these irregularities being exposed during audit inspections.  

But before that the SLR did experience a golden era between 1955-70 under the management of B.D Rampala. He functioned as Chief Mechanical Engineer apart from doing his role as the General Manager of Ceylon Government Railways. The secret for his success was that he ensured that the rail system was up to date and and the sitting facilities offered comfort to commuters. 

However, the rot started to set in during the 20th century when the country moved away from an agriculture/plantation system to embrace an industrial business system. The result was the number of goods transported by train dropping by a huge percentage and the SLR losing a chunk of its market share. The other factor that contributed to the decline was SLR not adopting new technical innovations like the authorities did in the foreign railways. 

Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge has promised to recruit more employees to strengthen SLR. The addition of employees to the work force would help recommence some of the services which have come to a standstill at SLR. 

The authorities must not forget that SLR is a facility that adds to the pride of out country and is also a part of our identity in the tourism industry. Hence it must be noted that SLR needs to be raised to its old pristine state where the rail system was often upgraded and commuters were guaranteed both safety and comfort.