Kandy to Ella by train: booking, classes and the 2026 closure

As checked on 3 October 2026, no train runs from Kandy to Ella: Cyclone Ditwah damaged the line in November 2025. Trains do run between Nanu Oya and Ella, so travel by road to Nanu Oya, the station for Nuwara Eliya, then take the train. Book that section on the Sri Lanka Railways seat-reservation site, up to 30 days ahead.

This guide explains what is open now, how booking and classes work on this line, and what the fares are. When the full line reopens, the booking rules below will still apply.

Is the Kandy to Ella train running in 2026?

As checked on 3 October 2026:

• Nanu Oya to Badulla, through Ella: open. Trains have run again on this section since 20 June 2026, with only a few trains a day. Check the current timetable before you plan the day.
• Colombo to Peradeniya and Gampola: due to restart on 2 October 2026; the first train that morning was a trial run without passengers.
• Peradeniya to Kandy: closed. The Peradeniya railway bridge is not finished.
• Gampola to Nawalapitiya, and Hatton to Nanu Oya: still under repair.

On 1 October 2026, Sri Lanka Railways said it expects Colombo to Kandy services to return in January 2027. No date has been given for the rest of the hill-country line. This article will be updated when it does. The coast line is a separate line: see the Colombo to Galle train.

How do you get from Kandy to Ella by train today?

Travel from Kandy to Nanu Oya by road, about 80 km. Then take the train from Nanu Oya to Ella. By rail, this open section is 64.5 km. It took about 2.5 to 3.5 hours on the old timetable. Check the current timetable before you plan the day.

Nuwara Eliya has no station of its own on the Main Line. Its station is Nanu Oya. Ella is 64.5 km down the line from Nanu Oya, towards Badulla. You can spend a night near Nuwara Eliya and take the train the next day. Our two-week itinerary shows how this fits the route.

How does the Kandy to Ella line work?

The Kandy-to-Ella train uses Sri Lanka's Main Line, which runs from Colombo Fort to Badulla. Kandy is not on the Main Line itself. It sits on a short branch, 5.89 km from Peradeniya Junction.

Kandy station is a terminus for these trains, so a train that calls at Kandy reverses there and goes back to Peradeniya before it climbs into the hills. In the normal timetable, before the cyclone, some Badulla trains called at Kandy and others stopped only at Peradeniya, about 6 km away.

In the normal timetable, the express trains took about 6 to 7.5 hours from Kandy or Peradeniya to Ella. By rail, Kandy to Ella is about 163 km.

Which trains ran from Kandy to Ella before the cyclone?

None of these trains runs between Kandy and Ella as of October 2026. In the normal timetable before the cyclone, the main trains towards Ella were:

• The Podi Menike: left Colombo Fort at 05:55 and Kandy at about 08:55.
• The Udarata Menike: left Colombo Fort at 08:30.
• An intercity train: left Colombo Fort at 09:45.
• The Night Mail: left Colombo Fort at 20:30 and stopped at Peradeniya, not Kandy, near midnight.
• An early-morning local train from Kandy.
• The Ella Odyssey: a tourist special that ran from Colombo Fort on only some days of the week.

The new timetable may be different when the line reopens.

What are the classes on the Ella train?

Trains on this line have up to five kinds of seat:

• First class, air-conditioned: a closed car with air conditioning.
• First class, observation saloon: large windows at the back of the train. It faces backwards, so you watch the line move away behind you.
• Second class reserved and third class reserved: a booked seat.
• Second class unreserved and third class unreserved: no booking and no guaranteed seat.

Not every train has every class. In the normal timetable, the Podi Menike and Udarata Menike had air-conditioned first class plus reserved second and third class. The 09:45 intercity from Colombo and the early local train from Kandy had the observation saloon instead. The Night Mail had sleeping berths. Almost every train also had unreserved second and third class. Check the classes for your train when you book.

How do you book the Kandy to Ella train?

As checked in October 2026:

• When: reserved seats go on sale 30 days before the day of travel.
• Where: on the official website, seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, up to 2 hours before departure, or at a station that has a reservation office.
• ID: foreign visitors book with their passport number.
• How many: one booking can hold up to five seats.
• Fee: there is a 5% online fee.
• Ticket: the official site says you can show the e-ticket on your phone or print it at home; you do not need to collect a paper ticket. Carry the passport you booked with, because staff may check that your name and ID match the ticket.
• Refunds: 75% if you cancel 7 or more days ahead, 50% between 2 and 7 days, and nothing after that.

Reserved seats on the hill-country trains often sell out soon after booking opens. In January 2025 a Sri Lankan newspaper reported that some Colombo–Ella e-tickets sold out within 42 seconds.

What if reserved seats are sold out?

Buy an unreserved ticket at the station on the day. Unreserved second- and third-class tickets are sold only at the station on the day of travel. They do not sell out, but there is no guarantee of a seat, and the cars can be very crowded.

Do not buy reserved tickets from resellers or unofficial websites. Seats are booked in a passenger's name and ID number, and staff may check them.

As of October 2026, starting at Peradeniya does not help, because the line beyond Gampola is closed. When the full line reopens, Peradeniya may again be the place to board trains that do not call at Kandy.

How much is the train from Kandy or Nanu Oya to Ella?

Sri Lanka Railways' fare tables on its website, as checked in October 2026, are still the ones dated August 2022. Foreign visitors pay the same fares as Sri Lankans. Booking online adds 5%.

Nanu Oya to Ella (the section open today):

• Reserved: first class Rs 2,000, second class Rs 1,200, third class Rs 900.
• Unreserved: first class Rs 600, second class Rs 300, third class Rs 160.

Kandy to Ella (when the line reopens):

• Reserved: first class Rs 2,500, second class Rs 1,700, third class Rs 1,200.
• Unreserved, from Peradeniya: first class Rs 1,150, second class Rs 600, third class Rs 300.

Fares may change when the full line reopens, so check the price when you book.

What do you see on the way to Ella?

The British colonial government built the railway in stages. It was started in 1864, mainly to carry coffee from the hill country to the port of Colombo. Tea became the main crop later, after disease destroyed the coffee plantations from the 1870s. The line reached Badulla in 1924, and Sri Lanka Railways marked its 100th anniversary in April 2024.

The highest point. Pattipola is the highest station on the line. Its station sign gives its height as 1,891 metres above sea level. The highest point of the track is a little further on, near a trackside sign called "Summit Level", at about 1,900 metres. Summit Level is a sign, not a station. Both are on the section between Nanu Oya and Ella, which is open today.

The Nine Arch Bridge. The Nine Arch Bridge is on this line, between Ella and Demodara stations. The engineer in charge, Harold Cuthbert Marwood of the Ceylon Government Railway, reported that the work was completed in January 1919. Many sources give 1921 instead. The bridge is made of concrete, built by local workers under British supervision. A popular story says a local builder, P. K. Appuhami, built it, but there is no documented evidence for this.

Which side of the train should you sit on?

You will find confident advice online about the "right side" for this journey. We could not confirm any of it. Trains that call at Kandy reverse there, which changes which side faces which way, and travel blogs disagree with each other. When the line reopens, ask the staff on the platform which side faces the valley for your train.

Is it safe to hang out of the train door?

Do not hang out of the open doors. Foreign tourists have died doing this on this line. In June 2024 a foreign passenger died after hitting a tunnel wall between Nanu Oya and Idalgashinna. In February 2025 a Russian tourist died after hitting a rock and falling from the train near Hali Ela, close to Badulla.

Sri Lanka Railways says riding on the footboards is prohibited and that it will not take responsibility for such accidents. Under the Railways Ordinance, riding on the steps of a train is an offence.

Is the Ella train often delayed?

Heavy rain can close this line. In late November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah caused landslides and damage at more than 200 places on the Colombo–Badulla line. Most of the line was closed for months, and as of October 2026 parts of it are still being repaired. Even in normal times, trains on the hill section are slow, and delays are common, so do not plan a tight connection after the train.

What most visitors miss about the Ella train

• The line changed in 2026. Guides written before the cyclone describe a train that does not run today.
• The best scenery is on the open section. Pattipola, Summit Level and the Nine Arch Bridge are all between Nanu Oya and Ella.
• Unreserved tickets never sell out. Crowded, but always available.
• The observation saloon faces backwards.
• Nuwara Eliya's station is Nanu Oya.

Before you take the hill-country train

• Check railway.gov.lk for the current status of the line.
• Plan Kandy to Nanu Oya by road, about 80 km (as checked October 2026).
• Book reserved seats on seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, 30 days ahead, with your passport number.
• Carry the passport you booked with.
• If sold out, buy unreserved at the station on the day.
• Never buy from resellers.
• Stay inside the carriage. Do not ride on the steps.
• Leave slack in your plans for delays.

Questions people ask

Is the train from Kandy to Ella running?

Not as of 3 October 2026. Cyclone Ditwah damaged the hill-country line in November 2025. Trains run between Nanu Oya and Ella, so travel by road from Kandy to Nanu Oya and take the train from there. Check railway.gov.lk before you travel.

How long does the train to Ella take?

From Nanu Oya, the open section, it took about 2.5 to 3.5 hours on the old timetable. Before the cyclone, express trains took about 6 to 7.5 hours from Kandy or Peradeniya to Ella.

How far ahead can you book the Ella train?

Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before the day of travel, on seatreservation.railway.gov.lk or at a station with a reservation office (as checked October 2026). Foreign visitors book with their passport number.

What if the Ella train is sold out?

Buy an unreserved ticket at the station on the day. Unreserved tickets do not sell out, but there is no guarantee of a seat.

Which side of the train is best for views?

We could not verify the common advice. Trains that call at Kandy reverse there, which changes which side faces which way, and travel blogs disagree with each other. Ask the staff on the platform which side faces the valley for your train.

How much is the train from Nanu Oya to Ella?

The fare tables on Sri Lanka Railways' website, as checked October 2026, are still dated August 2022: reserved seats cost Rs 2,000 in first class, Rs 1,200 in second and Rs 900 in third. Booking online adds 5%.

---

Coming soon: Sri Lanka Before You Land, our pre-trip ebook, explains the route, the seasons and the history behind every stop. A free guide, Your First Week in Sri Lanka, will cover the first days on the ground.