Veyangoda railway station

Veyangoda railway station is a railway station in the Western Province, Sri Lanka. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways, which is the state-run railway operator.

Veyangoda Railway Station
Location	Ruwanwella Road, Veyangoda Sri Lanka
Coordinates	07°09′9.6282″N 80°03′30.3282″E
Owned by	Sri Lanka Railways
Line(s)	Main Line
Platforms	Four
Tracks	Six
Other information
Station code	VGD
History
Opened	27 December 1864 (1864-12-27)
Electrified	Yes

Location

Veyangoda railway station is located in the centre of the town of Veyangoda. It is the 20th station on the Main Line and 37.48 km (23.29 mi) from the Colombo Fort railway station[1] at an elevation of 18.59 m (61.0 ft) above mean sea level.[2] Veyangoda railway station is one of the busiest stations in the Gampaha District, with most of the trains excluding intercity express stopping at the station. Next to station, there is road crossing, which has the highest number of crossings in Sri Lanka.

The station has four platforms and one siding line with crossing loop and functions as a commuter rail terminus.

History

The station is one of the first five railway stations constructed in Sri Lanka. The original station was opened on 27 December 1864, when the first passenger train, carrying the Duke of Brabant, Leopold II, and operated by Guilford Lindsey Molesworth (Chief Railway Engineer), ran from Veyangoda to Ambepussa and returned to Colombo.[3][4] The line however wasn't officially opened for traffic until 2 October 1865 and the Veyangoda station wasn't completed until 1866.

In 2016 the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva, announced that the government would be electrifying the railway line from Veyangoda to Panadura over the next three years.[5][6]

Continuity

Preceding station		Sri Lanka Railways		Following station
Heendeniya Pattiyagoda		Main Line		Wadurawa

See also

• List of railway stations in Sri Lanka
• List of railway stations in Sri Lanka by line
• Rail transport in Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka Railways

References

1. "Main Line". Sri Lanka Railways. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
2. "Veyangoda railway station". podimenike. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
3. Ceylon Government Railway: One Hundred Years, 1864-1964. Ceylon Government Railways. 1964. p. 8.
4. Perera, G. F. (1925). The Ceylon Railway: The Story of Its Inception and Progress. Sunday Observer. p. 78.
5. "Electric train service from Veyangoda to Panadura will start soon: Nimal Siripala". The Daily News. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
6. "Future Plans". Sri Lanka Railways. Retrieved 9 August 2018.

External links

• Cutting the First Sod of Earth for the Railway in 1858