Romantic KV railway line to find new lover in Hambantota

Plans are afoot to extend the Kelani Valley railway line from Avissawella via Opanayake, Embilipitiya and Suriyawewa to end journey in Hambantota

Avissawella Railway Station

•  A spokesman for SLR said the KV line is to be augmented up to Hambantota Port by 2030
• Residents in the area maintain that restoring the KV line has been a long felt need and that it is imperative in view of the government’s efforts to develop tourism
• A recent survey has revealed that more than 1500 squatters are occupying the old railway line between Avissawella and Eheliyagoda

The Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) is planning to restore the Kelani Valley (KV) Railway up to Opanayake through Kuruvita, Ratnapura and Kahawatta. At present trains operate up to Avissawella.   
The KV Railway, built during British rule in Sri Lanka, and reaching up to Opanayake was closed in the early 1970s and replaced with a board gauge line only up to Avissawella.   
A spokesman for SLR said the KV line is to be augmented up to Hambantota port by 2030. He said the project would include land acquisition to lengthen the railway line from Opanayake to run through Embilipitiya and Suriyawewa to Hambantota.   

He said that the need to acquire land from Avissawella to Opanayaka- where the old railway line existed- will not arise. However he said that the proposed railway line would be a broad gauge line that requires acquisition of land to strain curves at several locations.  
The SLR official said that the Supervisory Working Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainability had taken up the proposed plan in Parliament on November 22. Meanwhile senior officials of SLR and the Urban Development Ministry had held talks in Eheliyagoda regarding changes to the Urban Development Plan for Eheliyagoda in keeping with the proposed KV line.   
By letter dated April 05, 2022 General Manager of SLR J.I.D. Jayasundara had stated that the proposed dual railway line from Maradana to Homagama marked stage one of the project to augment the KV line to Kahawatta and to operate trains at a speed between 50 and 85 km per hour. The letter indicated that the plans to restore the KV line from Avissawella to Eheliyagoda were complete.  
Getahettha Railway Station in Eheliyagoda has been renovated by the Eheliyagoda Divisional Secretary. A recent survey has revealed that more than 1500 squatters are occupying the old railway line between Awissawella and Eheliyagoda and that 90 percent of them have land elsewhere but occupied the railway line to own additional land.   
Meanwhile, residents of the area said the unauthorised dwellers in the railway line are now attempting to sell lands occupied by them after being alarmed by the proposed plan to restore the KV Line.  
They said restoring the KV line was a long felt need and that it is imperative in view of the government’s tourism development effort. They pointed out that there was potential to promote tourism using the KV railway that runs through a lovely and attractive countryside adorned with several waterfalls.