News
Sri Lanka’s scenic train rides tainted by online scammers
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Sri Lanka’s reputation in the tourism sector, as well as the government’s initiative to enhance the image of the country, have had a jolt due to a scam surrounding online booking of railway tickets.
In recent months complaints have emerged about tickets being snapped up within seconds of bookings opening up online, especially on trains bound to popular tourist destinations.
This is a result of online tourist service provider companies booking the tickets and offering them to foreigners at high prices.
Station masters and officials at railway stations have had to face the brunt of disgruntled tourists once they realise they have been scammed.
Badulla bound: One of the most popular train rides. Pic by Indika Handuwala
In some instances when foreign tourists arrived at the Ella station to get refunds on their online tickets due to cancellations of trains and other reasons, they realised the true amount of an online ticket.
Tourists complain of paying Rs 10,000 to 16,000 for a first-class train ticket, which is normally between Rs. 2800 and Rs. 8000, depending on the type of the train.
A station master, who did not want to be named, said that it is very unpleasant to explain to tourists that they have been scammed. He added these instances get bad reviews, especially on social media posts. He believes that some employees of the railways department are involved in the scam, as the online tickets are sold as soon as the tickets are opened for booking.
The Sunday Times also observed instances where passengers who booked first-class seats on the Podi Menike train from Fort Railway Station to Badulla and got down in stations such as Kandy and Nanu Oya, as the seat that was booked for the whole trip became vacant, the guards gave these seats to passengers following underhand payments.
The first-class train tickets for the Odyssey train bound to Badulla from Colombo are Rs 8000, while second-class and third-class tickets are available for 6000 and 5000. Both the Podi Menike and Uda Rata Menike trains first-class tickets cost Rs 2800, while second and third class seats are available for Rs 1800 and Rs. 1300, respectively.
Locomotive Operating Engineers union (LOEU) President K.A.U. Konthasinghe said that the Railways Department should not allow scammers to benefit from the ticketing system.
He said the department should develop a system where passengers can only book tickets via the Railway Dept website. This way the unethical practice of selling railway online tickets for high prices by third-party groups could be stopped.
Railways General Manager Dammika Jayasundara told the Sunday Times that they have lodged complaints with the police regarding this scam.
He said when reports emerged that a railways employee of Makumbura railway station was involved in the racket, he was suspended pending an investigation.
He added that they have requested Mobitel, which provides technical support for the online ticketing, to make their system invulnerable for outsiders to make bulk purchases. The mobile company had assured them that they would look into the technical side of it, he said.
The Railways Department understands that the high demand is one of the reasons for the racket to exist; therefore, plans are underway to deploy a train operating from Kandy to Demodara (Ella Odyssey Kandy) from February 1 onwards every weekend. A daily train from Nanu Oya to Demodara will hit the tracks from February 15 onwards.
Meanwhile, Transport Deputy Minister Prasanna Kumara Gunasena told the Sunday Times that they handed over the investigation into the scam to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) two weeks back.
He added that at the Kandy District Development Committee meeting he instructed police to investigate the scam from bottom upwards.
He added that police had located an email address that had been used to book multiple seats, raising suspicions that the racket is being carried out by an organised group.
He said more trains will be deployed on the upcountry line to meet the demand.
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