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The Fort Railway Station -the rot sets in
View(s):Story and pix by Indika Handuwala
 This corroded stairway used by thousands daily -built a 100-years ago- poses a threat to life and limb and is a disaster waiting to happen |
 Commuter apathy has been partly responsible for the lack of hygiene at the station |
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 Only three ticket counters remain open leading to long queues, while other counters remain unused as seen in our picture |
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The age old Fort Railway Station located in the heart of the metropolis has turned into an eye sore to the many thousands of commuters, both local and foreign with facilities near zero. Rail users are pushed to the edge, but the relevant authorities are not concerned.
The station built during the Bristish Raj is in much the same state today if not in a worse condition. The unhygienic conditions are a horror to commuters. This is especially if one needs to use a washroom or a clean food outlet. The iron overhead stairway which take passengers from one platform to the other, built more than 100 years ago has corroded and is a disaster waiting to occur.
To make matters worse, there are only three ticket counters functioning for main line services, South, Chilaw-Puttalam and the North Central even during peak hours. This has led to long queues and many miss their trains as a result of this. Worst affected are office workers who must board these trains on time else they miss the connecting road transport at the point of disembarkation.
When this happens passengers both male and female are forced to walk all the way home, risking being attacked by undesirables. Several instances have been reported from time to time.
Similar conditions operate at other key stations, such as Ragama, Negombo, Veyangoda, Matara etc. An irate commuter-Nalinda Jayasinghe, is a regular train traveller between Colombo Fort and Veyangoda for the past two decades. “During this period nothing has improved. There has only been a decline in service and facilities.
“ But who is listening?” he added.
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