Probe into Hikkaduwa derailment

Rajmi Manatunga

COLOMBO: Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has ordered a full scale investigation into Monday’s derailment of the ‘Rajarata Menike’ express train at Hikkaduwa leaving three dead.

Calling for a report as to the causes and circumstances of the accident to be submitted today, Alahapperuma has also directed the General Manager of Railways to renovate the damaged track and bridge, and restore train services on the coastal line as quickly as possible.

Following the derailment which caused serious damage to the track, the bridge, and an adjacent fibre-optic signal cable, train operations on the line were confined to Ambalangoda.

According to the Transport Ministry, additional service teams and a crane have been dispatched to Hikkaduwa to remove the ill-fated train carriages off the bridge and clear the track.

The clearing process commenced yesterday itself. Trains will be operated beyond Ambalangoda only after we receive a comprehensive report as to the fitness of the bridge for train operations, a Ministry spokesman said.

Commenting on the probable cause of the incident, he said the first part of the train including the engine which had got detached during the derailment, had travelled around 250 metres ahead, after the last three carriages skidded off the track.

“However, it is too early to decide whether the derailment took place as a result of not adhering to speed limits or defective track, or some other cause,” he added.