One of the most beautiful railway lines in the world is the one on the West coast of Sri Lanka. The line skims the sea coast and is sandwiched between a busy road and the rolling waves of the blue sea waters. It is not a celebrated railway (Broad Guage) in the touristy sense as the Swiss Railways (Standard Guage) or even our own Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Metre Guage), Kalka-Shimla (Narrow Guage 2 feet six inches), or Darjeeling Hill Railway (Narrow Guage - two feet). It is however a major commuting mode for the Sri Lankans. Trains run crowded. Fares are low and affordable. The service is fast enough for the distances they cover.
I had
gone there in 2018 on an official visit to understand their expectations from
ICF for Diesel Multiple Unit trains we were exporting. I therefore got the
privilege to footplate from Colombo to Galle and had a clear view of the sea.
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We subsequently supplied six trains to them. They were liked by them so much that ICF got a repeat order for three more trains. The drivers of Sri Lankan Railways became resistant to driving Chinese trains and wanted their duties assigned only on Indian trains.
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country - very clean and scenic. Sri Lankans are proud of their country and value their culture and heritage. Indians need to learn from them.
Enjoy the two-minute video clip here. Click on the link
https://youtu.be/DeWhDT2SXSs?si=ns_tDKZmTI0nP7sG
A video of the Diesel Multiple Unit Trains supplied by India to Sri Lanka can be seen here. Click on the link
https://youtu.be/9iPRgP9h2M8?si=6GrzY9i0EwUQRuLk
