Day 5 – Colombo to Ella Train Ride

Summary:

The train line to Ella is known as the Badulla or Main Line and a 2^nd class ticket to Ella is 350LKR / $2.85 AUD. The journey will begin from Colombo Fort Station (also known as Kotuwa) and takes around 10 hours.

During the journey from Colombo to Kandy the train is going opposite to the direction the train comes into the station at Platform 2 (for us at least) so we were facing right in relation to the direction of travel towards Kandy. The views of the country side hills were nice, but overshadowed by the lack of space and overcrowding in the train.

After Kandy the direction of the train changes and we were now on the left of the train (in relation to the new direction of travel) The views of the tea fields were spectacular (best seen from the right) between Kandy and Nanuoya after which the dramatic scenes got even better. For one the views were on our side (left) of the train. Two, the train was literally climbing into the clouds and Three, did I mention the views were on our side of the train.

From the station in Ella (don’t lose your ticket as you need to show it to exit) there is a barrage of three wheel drivers waiting to give you a ride to your accommodation. Expect to pay more than you would in Colombo.

Detailed account

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Now that the pretty pictures are out of the way, the facts of the day.

In the weeks and days beforehand we wanted to travel, we were told by many people that all the seats were sold out (months in advanced) and we would not be able to go on the train from Colombo Fort station (Handy hint: if you talk to a local and they have no idea where Colombo fort is say Kotuwa Railway Station and all will be well) to Ella on the Badulla/Main Line. After hours (ok minutes) of internet research I believed we could get 2nd class unreserved or 3rd class unreserved seats.

At 4:40am we arrived at the ticket counter labelled “2nd class all lines” (or something similar) to be 2nd in line. We used an uncle to pre book a taxi as three wheelers (a.k.a. tuk tuks) and pick me drivers (Uber like app) are hard to find at 4am. At 5.01am the ticket counter opened and we were served.

After buying two 2nd class unreserved tickets for 700LKR / $5.94 AUD we went to a large monitor and waited for the platform number to appear in English for the Badulla Line. The 5.55am train was to come on platform two.

At 5.20am an announcement occurred in Sinhala and everyone got up. As the train was coming to the platform everyone started jumping onto the still moving train as it came to a stop. When in Rome…using that philosophy we also jumped into the still moving train. Because of this we managed to score two seats on the left of the train (considering the direction as the train came into the station). On the outside of the train near the doorways the class is are printed around the door ways. 2nd class is just a “2”. 3rd is “3”. 1st and 2nd reserved have more wording to highlight the fact.

Luckily we could also stow our backpacks into the overhead compartments and the day packs next to our legs. As we waited until the train left the station, all the seats and the corridor became full. By the time we left the train felt like a metro train in Melbourne during peak hour…except this journey was 10 hours long. Each station saw more and more people come on. We ended up sharing our seat with a little boy who fearlessly started a conversation with us and was excited about everything outside from flowers to boom gates.

• 

• 

• 

Once the train reached Kandy some 3 hours later a large majority of the people got off and most people standing were able to sit down. But in no time the train was full again and progressively fuller all the way until Ella. At Ella I think the entire train got off. BTW as you leave the station you have to hand in your tickets so don’t lose them, and during the journey expect to have your tickets checked also.

Overall impression…if you can get a seat you will enjoy it heaps regardless of class (we only travelled unreserved 2nd class while in Lanka). Also we saw a few travellers both local and tourists sitting in the doorways with their legs dangling out of the train. That’s the best way to experience the main line if you get a chance. (We did this on the way home and it was amazing)

www.seat61.com/srilanka has very useful information and train timetables.

After arriving at Ella we called our homestay, called Nethuli Guest House and they sent a three wheel to pick us up. The driver also had his own homestay and struck up a conversation. To save ourselves from tourist prices we told them we were from our parent’s hometown and despite the Aussie accents that normally give us away, we were believed. Upon arriving at the guest house we were shown our room and made tea. The room was nice and clean the bathroom was quite large. The owner who we met later that night was very nice and helped us plan our trip around Ella. Recommend staying here for the rooms and service.

• 

• 

• 

• 

After we settled in we walked to the town in Ella and we were greeted with a tourist hotspot instead of a small town as we were expecting. Large restaurants with plenty of tourists. We ate at a place called Ella 360 (later found out 360 is a chain) which had nice food but a little pricey for a budget traveller. After dinner it was dark so we went to a three wheel park (like a taxi rank) close to the edge of the town.

• 

• 

• 

Here we met a new 3 wheel driver who was very friendly and offered to take us on a full tour of the town the following day arriving early in the morning. Won over by his charm we agreed and once we were back at the hostel, set our alarms for an early start…I was just getting used to a life without alarms.

Travelled on 28^th August 2018.