Mihintale line

Mihintale line is a 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) gauge railway line in Sri Lanka which starts from Anuradhapura and ends at Mihintale, which was constructed in 1993.

Mihintale line
Overview
Native nameමිහින්තලේ දුම්රිය මාර්ගය
StatusActive
OwnerSri Lanka Railways
LocaleSri Lanka
TerminiMihintale Junction railway station, Anuradhapura
Mihintale railway station, Mihintale
Service
Operator(s)Sri Lanka Railways
History
Opened28 May 1993 (1993-05-28)[1][2]
Technical
Line length11[1] km (6.8 mi)
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)

The Mihintale line is approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) in length and there are no stations between the termini. The train takes about 35 minutes to complete the journey.[2] The line branches off from northern line at the Mihintale Junction railway station in Anuradhapura.[2]

In 1990 President Ranasinghe Premadasa first proposed to construct a railway line from Anuradhapura to Mihintale, in order to accommodate the growing demands of Buddhist pilgrims travelling to the sacred sites at Mihintale.[3] The responsibility for the project was given to the Minister of Transport Wijayapala Mendis and the General Manager of Sri Lanka Railway, W. A. C. K. Silva.[3] The route runs parallel to main bus route and primarily through crown land. The rail line took six months to construct at a cost of Rs. 151 million[2] and was officially opened on 28 May 1993 by Mendis.[3]

The line terminates at the Mihintale railway station, which has a single platform with a siding. The station has linking pavilions with shelter and toilet provisions at one end and a retiring room, which consists of ten bedrooms, at the other end.[4][5]

Operations

Trains are not regularly operated on this line. Trains only operate on this line during the Poson period (early June), to cater for the high demand by Buddhist pilgrims travelling between holy sites in Anuradhapura and Mihintale at this time. On Vesak (the day of the full-moon in May) free trains are operated on the line.[6]

See also

References
  1. "The Rail Routes of Sri Lanka". Model Railroad Club of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  2. Ellis, Royston. Sri Lanka. pp. 130–131. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  3. Thilakaratna, M. W. (9 August 2019). "History of Anuradhapura-Mihintale Railway line". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  4. Ellis, Royston (1994). Sri Lanka by Rail. Bradt Publications. p. 145. ISBN 9780946983773.
  5. Satyapalan, Franklin R. (2 June 2012). "Plans to enhance commuter facilities at key rail stations". The Island. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  6. උඩුවර, ශීලා (14 June 2011). "පොසොන් වන්දනාවට අනුරාධපුර-මිහින්තලේ නොමිලේ දුම්රිය සේවා". Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
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