By: Staff Writer
June 15, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka Railways, once a cornerstone of national development and connectivity, is now facing a deepening crisis rooted in decades of mismanagement, resource misallocation, and bureaucratic inefficiency. The cancellation of 57 train services during the recent Vesak holidays, triggered by a severe shortage of train drivers, has brought these long-standing issues back into sharp focus.
Currently, the Department of Railways is functioning with only 275 active train drivers, despite a daily operational requirement of at least 400. The situation becomes even more strained during long weekends and holidays when more drivers apply for leave, leading to the cancellation of nearly 30 trains per day.
While the General Manager of Railways has announced the recruitment of 160 new drivers, the three-year training period means that the public should not expect immediate improvements in service reliability.
Yet, the driver shortage is only a symptom of a much larger problem. A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed startling inefficiencies within the institution. In 2022 alone, 72% of scheduled trains failed to arrive on time, and more than 10,000 train services were cancelled altogether.
This is particularly troubling for a system that has relied on a scheduling mechanism in place since 1865—one that is now failing both in reliability and execution.
The situation is worsened by the underutilisation of valuable resources. According to the audit, 23 locomotives and 36 power sets remained idle in 2022, even as commuters endured delays and overcrowded trains.
This inefficiency comes despite a major investment in 2021, when the government spent US$ 90 million to procure engines and power sets from India. However, poor procurement decisions have resulted in operational setbacks, including the purchase of incompatible or defective spare parts such as those required for M4-class locomotives, which remain unresolved despite multiple supplier engagements.
In response to these alarming revelations, the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has recommended an urgent audit into the daily financial losses incurred due to train cancellations. This directive was made during a COPA meeting held in Parliament on May 8, chaired by MP Aravinda Senarath.
The meeting was convened to discuss the Auditor General’s Report for 2023 and to assess the current performance of the Sri Lanka Railways Department.
Former General Managers of Railways and Secretaries to the Ministry were also summoned to the hearing. The Committee questioned the insufficient number of audit and management committee meetings held between 2021 and 2024. Officials cited the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent staff transfers as reasons for the lack of oversight.
Although plans were made to regularise these meetings in 2024, the final scheduled meeting could not be held.
COPA expressed concern that the absence of regular audits and management meetings had severely impacted the department’s operational efficiency.
Train delays, which numbered 64 in 2022, remained persistently high with 61 delays in 2023 and 46 reported so far in 2024. The Committee has instructed the Department to submit a detailed report on daily delays and the preventive measures being implemented.
As Sri Lanka Railways continues to falter, urgent structural reforms, improved oversight, and investment in human resources are essential to reverse the decline and rebuild commuter trust.
