Train fares hiked

The Sri Lanka Railways has decided to increase train ticket fares with effect from 1 October.

Although there has been no change in the minimum train ticket price of Rs 10, the distance that can be travelled for the ticket has been reduced from nine kilometres to seven.

The revised fares are as follows: the price of the Colombo Fort – Badulla third class ticket will be increased from Rs 205 to Rs 275; the Colombo Fort – Kandy third class ticket will be increased from Rs 110 to Rs 140; the Colombo Fort – Galle third class ticket will be increased from Rs 105 to Rs 135; the Colombo Fort – Matara third class ticket will be increased from Rs 130 to Rs 170; whilst the Colombo Fort – Jaffna third class ticket will increased from Rs 320 to Rs 350.

In addition, second class and first class tickets, sleeping berth tickets, inter-city train tickets, and parcel tickets will also be increased.

Meanwhile, Commercial Superintendent at the Department of Railways N.J. Idipolage has said that the ticket price hike was due to the Department of Railways suffering Rs 6.7 billion losses last year.