News
Empty boasts and commuter travails
The railway services are seeing a rapid development with an increasing number of passengers and trains, declared Transport Minister Kumara Welgama.
But photographs captured by our cameraman portray the dire state of the railway service -overcrowded trains, congested platforms, long queues waiting to purchase tickets and hundreds of people crowding to get in and out of trains.
The Fort station receives the highest number of railway commuters in the country, but has a limited number of ticket counters, resulting in the formation of long queues. Ravi Guneratne, an office employee who travels daily by train said despite assurances from the State, office trains continue to be overcrowded.
“Travelling to and from office is an extremely tiring journey. Students travelling to school face this problem too. Female commuters are highly inconvenienced and are often left helpless,”he said.
 Passengers struggle to board a train at Sri Lanka’s main station at Fort |
 Travel is one dangerous hazard.Workers cling like bats on overcrowded trains |
 Disembarking passengers are hampered by limited space and have to jostle each other |
 Working people and students are forced to stand in long winding queues to purchase tickets. |
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