Batticaloa is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and is a major commercial centre. It is on the east coast, 111 kilometres (69 mi) south of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island. Pasikudah is a popular tourist destination situated 35 km (22 mi) northwest with beaches and flat year-round warm-water shallow-lagoons.
The Sri Lanka Railway Department is Sri Lanka's railway owner and primary operator. As part of the Sri Lankan government, it is overseen by the Ministry of Transport. Founded in 1858 as the Ceylon Government Railway, it operates the nation's railways and links Colombo with other population centres and tourist destinations.
Kala Wewa, built by the King Datusena in 460 CE, is a reservoir complex consisting of two reservoirs, Kala Wewa and Balalu Wewa. It has the capacity to store 123 million cubic meters of water. This reservoir complex has facilitated with a stone made spillway and three main sluices. From the central major sluice, a 40 feet wide central conveys water to feed thousands of acres of paddy lands and ends at the historical capital Anuradhapura city tank Tissa Wewa meandering over 87 km (54 mi) at a slope of 6 inches per mile and is another wonder of primeval hydraulic engineering facility in ancient Ceylon.
The northern line is a railway line in Sri Lanka. Branching off the Main Line at Polgahawela Junction the line heads north through North Western, North Central and Northern provinces before terminating at the northern port of Kankesanthurai. The line is 339 kilometres (211 mi) long and has 55 stations between Polgahawela Junction and Vavuniya. It is the longest railway line in Sri Lanka. The line opened in 1894. Major cities served by the line include Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya,Kilinochchi and Jaffna. The popular Yal Devi service operates on the line. The line was severely affected by the civil war and no services operated north of Vavuniya after 1990. Reconstruction of this section of the line commenced following the end of the civil war in 2009 and was fully completed in early 2015.
The Batticaloa line is a railway line in Sri Lanka. Branching off the Northern line at Maho Junction, the line heads east through North Central Province and south-easterly through Eastern Province before terminating at the eastern city of Batticaloa. The line is 212 kilometres (132 mi) long and has 31 stations. The line opened in 1928. There were no services on the Polonnaruwa-Batticaloa stretch of the line between 31 October 1996 and 12 April 2003 due to the civil war. The Udaya Devi service operates on the line.
The Trincomalee line is a railway line in Sri Lanka. Branching off the Batticaloa line at Gal Oya Junction, the line heads north-east through North Central and Eastern provinces before terminating at the eastern city of Trincomalee. The line is 70 kilometres (43 mi) long and has nine stations. The line opened in 1927. The rail line was originally called the Batticaloa-Trincomalee Light Railway, as only locomotives with light axle loads were permitted. The circuitous route led to some rail employees wondering if the construction costs were paid on a mileage basis, with a manager stating "it followed the path of an intelligent cow". In the 1950s the route was deviated removing a number of sharp curves and steep gradients together with a switch to heavier rails to match the rest of the country's rail system.
Batticaloa railway station is a railway station in the city of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is part of the Batticaloa line which links Batticaloa District with the capital Colombo.
Eravur railway station is a railway station in the town of Eravur in eastern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is part of the Batticaloa line which links Batticaloa District with the capital Colombo.
Valaichchenai railway station Tamil: வாழைச்சேனை ரயில் நிலையம்), is a railway station in the town of Valaichchenai in eastern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is part of the Batticaloa Line which links Batticaloa District with the capital Colombo.
Punanai railway station is a railway station in the town of Punanai in eastern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is part of the Batticaloa Line which links Batticaloa District with the capital Colombo.
Trincomalee railway station is a railway station in the city of Trincomalee in eastern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is the eastern terminus of the Trincomalee Line which links Trincomalee District with the capital Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Railways Class M2 is a class of Diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in 1954 by General Motors Diesel, Canada, and Electro-Motive Division, USA for the use in Sri Lanka Railways. This is considered as one of the most successful locomotives in Sri Lanka.
Maho Junction Railway Station is a junction railway station in the town of Mahawa. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is part of the Northern line which links north of the country with the capital Colombo.
Udaya Devi is an Express train that runs between Colombo Fort and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka.
Polgahawela Junction railway station is a major junction station, situated in the Kurunegala District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is the 34th railway station on the Main line and is 73.83 kilometres (45.88 mi) away from the Colombo Fort Railway Station, at an elevation of 74.39 metres (244.1 ft) above sea level. The station is located at the centre of Polgahawela and is a main junction point joining two railway lines; one coming from the upcountry of Sri Lanka and another from the northern part of the country.
Kurunegala Railway Station is a major station, situated in the Kurunegala District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is the 5th railway station on the Northern Line and 39th overall from the Colombo Fort Railway Station, at an elevation of 122.86 metres (403.1 ft) above sea level. The station is located 2.2 km (1.4 mi) away from Kurunegala's town centre.
Gal Oya Junction is a railway station in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka.
Minneriya Railway Station is a railway station in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka.
Ran Banda Ratnamalala was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the member of Parliament of Sri Lanka from Kalawewa representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
