Sauna bath on wheels

by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi

It was a veritable "sauna" bath for passengers on the Veyangoda to Colombo express train which arrived at Gampaha Railway station at 7.40 a.m.

Amidst the heavy downpour, passengers were forced to hastily batten down all windows. While the intense humidity drenched passengers in a heavy sweat they were at the same time soaked from the leaking water pouring from the compartment roofs.

Adding to the ordeal, the train was fully packed. This was the situation until it reached Maradana. It was evident that there were leakages in the roofs of almost every compartment. Making the situation worse, there weren't even window panels, forcing passengers to endure untold hardship inside the steaming locomotive.

Passengers were seen complaining about the poor situation of train compartments. They request the authorities to take prompt action to remedy the situation.