Matale is a major city in Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative capital and largest urbanised city of Matale District. Matale is also the second largest urbanised and populated city in Central Province. It is located at the heart of the Central Highlands of the island and lies in a broad, green fertile valley at an elevation of 364 m (1,194 ft) above sea level. Surrounding the city are the Knuckles Mountain Range, the foothills were called Wiltshire by the British. They have also called this place as Matelle.
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.
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 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 Mannar line is a railway line in Sri Lanka. Branching off the northern line at Medawachchiya Junction, the line heads north-west through North Central and Northern provinces before terminating at the town of Talaimannar. The line is 106 kilometres (66 mi) long and has 11 stations. The line opened in 1914.
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 Main Line is a major railway line in the rail network of Sri Lanka and considered by many to be one of the most scenic train journeys in all of Asia. The line begins at Colombo Fort and winds through the Sri Lankan hill country to reach Badulla.
The coastal line is a major railway line in Sri Lanka, running between Colombo Fort and Beliatta, via Galle and Matara. Operated by Sri Lanka Railways, the line includes some of the busiest rail services in the country. The line has been extended to Beliatta on 8 April 2019 and is proposed to be extended to Kataragama, via Hambantota. With a designed maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) between Kalutara and Matara, and a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) between Matara and Beliatta, the line is one of the fastest in Sri Lanka.
Class S12 is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU), built for Sri Lanka Railways by China's CSR Corporation. The first batch arrived in Sri Lanka in August 2012. They were built to replace locomotive-hauled passenger trains. Seven of the S12 DMUs were ordered to strengthen long-distance travel on the Main line from Colombo to Badulla. Four of S12s will serve the Kelani Valley Line. The remaining two designed as luxury trains.
Kandy railway station is a major railway station in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways and is the primary railway station in Kandy and one of the most significant in the central hills. The station sits on a branch of the Main Line, leading to the Matale Line.
The 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots was a widespread and prolonged ethnic riot in the island of Ceylon between Sinhalese Buddhists and the Ceylon Moors. The riots were eventually suppressed by the British colonial authorities.
Peradeniya Junction is a railway station on the Main railway line of Sri Lanka, situated between Kathaluwa and Koshinna railway stations. It is the 45th railway station on the Main line and situated about 115 kilometres (71 mi) away from the Colombo Fort Railway Station, at an elevation of about 476 metres (1,562 ft) above sea level. It is an important railway junction in Sri Lanka Railways' network, connecting the Main Line, which runs from Colombo to Badulla and the Matale Line, which runs from Peradeniya to Matale via Kandy.
The Puttalam line is a 5 ft 6 in broad gauge railway line in the rail network of Sri Lanka. The 133 km (83 mi) railway line begins at Ragama junction and runs through the major towns along the north-west coast of the country, through to Periyanagavillu. It has forty two stations along its length.
Uda Pussellawa Railway (UPR) or Udupussallawa Railway (Sinhala: උඩුපුස්සැල්ලාව දුම්රිය මාර්ගය Uḍupussællāwa Dumriya Mārgaya) was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway line that existed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) between 1903 and 1948. The line connected Nanu Oya railway station with Ragala via Nuwara Eliya.
Randles Hill is a hill located in the suburb of Mulgampola in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Matale Railway Station is the terminus railway station on the Matale railway line of Sri Lanka. It is the 65th railway station on the line from Colombo Fort railway station and is located in the Matale District in the Central Province. It is 148.6 kilometres (92.3 mi) from the Colombo Fort Railway Station and 27.64 kilometres (17.17 mi) from the Kandy Railway Station. The station was opened on 14 October 1880 following the construction of a branch line from Kandy to Matale.
Colombo - Badulla Night Mail Train is a night time passenger and mail train that runs between Colombo and Badulla 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.
Ukuwela Railway Station is a railway station on the Matale railway line of Sri Lanka. It is the 65th railway station on the line from Colombo Fort railway station and is located in the Matale District in the Central Province. It is 141.6 kilometres (88.0 mi) from the Colombo Fort Railway Station and 28 km (17 mi) from the Kandy Railway Station. The station was opened on 14 October 1880 following the construction of a branch line from Kandy to Matale.
Wattegama Railway Station is a railway station on the Matale railway line of Sri Lanka. It is the 62nd railway station on the line from Colombo Fort railway station and is located in the Kandy District in the Central Province. It is 133 kilometres (83 mi) from the Colombo Fort Railway Station and 18.2 km (11 mi) from the Kandy Railway Station. The station was opened on 14 October 1880 following the construction of a branch line from Kandy to Matale. It was established to primarily serve the growing number of cacao and tea estates in the area. In the early 1900s it was estimated that a 1,000 t (2,200,000 lb) of cocoa beans and 3,630 t (8,000,000 lb) of tea moved through this station.
Reginald Wilfred Tennekoon was a Ceylonese politician and businessman.
