Gazette issued declaring railway services as an essential service

President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary gazzate notification a short while ago declaring railway services as an essential service with immediate effect under the Essential Public Service Act, the President's Media Division (PMD) said. 

The gazette was issued following a request made by Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana to the President to gazette railway services as an essential service following a strike launched since midnight yesterday by the Railway Locomotive Operating Engineers' Union. 

Nearly 120 scheduled train journeys today were cancelled owing to the trade union action. However, the Railway Department stated all night mail trains scheduled for this evening will run as usual. 

The strike has come under severe criticism after at least two people died and one was injured after falling from overcrowded trains.

An 18-year-old engineering student was killed after he fell off the roof of a moving train at Horape Station close to Ragama this morning. The victim had been riding on the roof of one of the railway carriages on the intercity train from Kandy to Colombo due to the train being overcrowded. According to eye-witnesses, his head had struck the overhead bridge at the station and he had then fallen onto the tracks before being dragged under the train. 

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man who fell off another overcrowded train from Maradana to Hikkaduwa between the Wellawatta and Bambalapitiya train stations last evening succumbed to his injuries today while being treated at the Colombo National Hospital. 

This evening, another passenger had fallen from a train traveling from Colombo Fort to Rambukkana near the Bulugahagoda railway station. The victim, who had reportedly been hanging from the overcrowded train, had fallen down after being struck by the slow train from Colombo to Kurunegala traveling in the same direction that had stopped Bulugahagoda railway station. 

Addressing a media briefing at the Government Information Department earlier today, Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana lashed out at railway trade unions over the strike action. 

He blamed trade union "terrorism" for the tragic death of the 18-year-old engineering student and said a meeting had already been arranged for tomorrow between himself and the Railway Locomotive Operating Engineers' Union to discuss their grievances but 84 locomotive operating engineers had arbitrarily decided to stage a strike even after a discussion had been arranged. 

As such, the minister said he had taken measures to request the President to issue a gazette notification declaring railways as an essential service in order to stop further victimisation of the public by striking trade unions. "Whatever the department, we should protect the people from such terrorist actions," the minister stressed. 

The link to the gazette notification declaring railways as an essential service can be found here: http://documents.gov.lk/files/egz/2023/9/2349-19_E.pdf