How to book a train in Sri Lanka: classes, seats and tickets

To book a Sri Lanka train ticket, use the official Sri Lanka Railways site, seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, or its official Android app. Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before travel, and you need every passenger's passport number. The e-ticket arrives by email. Unreserved tickets are sold only at the station, on the day (as checked October 2026).

This guide explains the classes, how reserved and unreserved tickets differ, what the main routes cost, and which lines are running after the 2025 cyclone.

Which lines are running in October 2026?

As checked on 5 October 2026, no train runs from Colombo or Kandy to Ella. Cyclone Ditwah damaged the hill-country line in late November 2025.

• Nanu Oya to Badulla, through Ella: running since 20 June 2026. Nanu Oya is the station for Nuwara Eliya.
• Colombo Fort to Peradeniya and Gampola: running again from 2 October 2026, but not into Kandy station, because the railway bridge near Peradeniya is still being rebuilt. Sri Lanka Railways hopes to reach Kandy again in early 2027; its general manager said January, and a railway engineer said February if bridge repairs go quickly. No date has been given for the line between Gampola and Nanu Oya.
• The Northern line, Colombo Fort to Jaffna and Kankesanthurai: running; it reopened fully in April 2026 after cyclone repairs.
• The coast line, Colombo Fort to Galle, Matara and Beliatta: running, and reserved seats on its intercity and express trains are sold on the official booking site.

To ride the famous hill section today, travel by road to Nanu Oya and take the train from there. Our Kandy to Ella train guide covers that trip, and Kandy to Ella without the train covers the road.

How do you book Sri Lanka train tickets online?

Sri Lanka Railways sells reserved seats on its own website, seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, which it calls the Seat Reservations and E-Warrant System, and through its official Android app, "Sri Lanka Railways Reservation" (as checked October 2026). There is no official iPhone app yet: the booking site lists the iOS version as "Available Soon".

Foreign visitors can book on the official site:

1. Create an account with an email address.
2. Search your journey. The site lists the trains and times with seats on sale for your date.
3. Enter the passport number of every passenger. The booking cannot be completed without them.
4. Pay. The site takes Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club and Discover credit and debit cards, and LankaQR. It adds a 5% convenience fee to the total, and that fee is not refunded if you cancel.
5. Open the e-ticket in your email. A text-message copy is sent only to a Sri Lankan mobile number, so give an email address you can open on your phone.

All reserved seats, including those sold at station counters, come from this one system, so the official site sees the same seats as the station. Do not buy reserved tickets from resellers: they are issued in one passenger's name and passport number and cannot be transferred.

When do seats go on sale?

Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before the day of travel, and you can book online until 2 hours before the train leaves (as checked October 2026). On the busiest trains, book on the first day you can. Reserved seats on the hill-country trains often sell out soon after they go on sale: in January 2025 a Sri Lankan newspaper reported that some Colombo to Ella e-tickets sold out within 42 seconds.

Can you choose your seat?

No. One booking holds up to five seats, and the system gives you the seats. Return journeys can be booked together. Tickets are in the passenger's name and passport number and cannot be passed to someone else (as checked October 2026).

Do you need to collect a paper ticket?

You do not need to collect a paper ticket. Show the e-ticket from your email on your phone, or print it at home. If you want a printed ticket, stations with the booking system can print one when you show the booking reference and your passport (as checked October 2026).

Carry the passport you booked with. Sri Lanka Railways checks that the ID number on a reserved ticket matches the passenger, at station entry and during ticket checks.

Can you book at the station or by phone?

You can book reserved seats at the station counter of any station on Sri Lanka Railways' list of booking-system stations, including Colombo Fort, Kandy, Nanu Oya, Ella, Badulla, Galle, Matara and Jaffna. Counter hours differ by station, so check them on the official site's "Ticket printing locations" page (as checked October 2026). Station counters sell from the same seats as the website, so a train sold out online is usually sold out at the counter too.

Colombo Fort is the main station for long-distance trains: the lines to Badulla (via Peradeniya), Jaffna, Galle and Matara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa all start there.

Sri Lanka's mobile networks also sell train seats by phone: SLT-Mobitel's service is on 365. It is charged to a Sri Lankan SIM and asks for a name and ID number, so it suits visitors only if they have a local SIM. For most visitors the official website is simpler.

What is the difference between reserved and unreserved tickets?

Reserved seats are sold on intercity and express trains on the main routes from Colombo Fort (to Badulla, Kandy, Jaffna and Kankesanthurai, Beliatta via Galle and Matara, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Talaimannar) and on some trains between Kandy and Badulla. You get a numbered seat, booked in advance.

Unreserved second- and third-class tickets are sold at the station ticket office on the day of travel, sometimes only from about an hour before the train. They cannot sell out, but they do not give you a seat, and on busy trains you may stand for much of the journey. Unreserved tickets are not tied to an ID.

Local and commuter trains are unreserved only. Most long-distance trains carry both reserved and unreserved cars. Sri Lanka Railways' Pravesha.lk site also sells commuter e-tickets up to 7 days ahead, but says these are not valid on intercity trains, so check before you rely on one (as checked October 2026).

If your train is full, try another train or class, or buy an unreserved ticket on the day.

What are the classes on Sri Lankan trains?

Sri Lankan trains have three classes, and not every train has all of them:

• First class is reserved, and is either an air-conditioned car with sealed windows or an observation saloon.
• Second class comes in reserved and unreserved cars, with large windows that open and no air-conditioning.
• Third class is the simplest and most crowded. Some trains sell reserved third-class seats; most sell only unreserved.
• Sleeping berths: Night Mail trains can also carry them.

The observation saloon is a first-class car at the end of the train with large windows looking back along the track, so you ride facing where you have been. It is found on only a few trains. Check which classes your train has when you book.

How much is a train ticket in Sri Lanka?

The fare tables on Sri Lanka Railways' website are still those that took effect on 1 August 2022 (as checked October 2026). We found no later official fare revision. Foreign visitors pay the same fares as Sri Lankans; there is no separate tourist fare. The price shown when you book is the one that counts, and booking online adds 5%.

Colombo Fort to Galle (about 114 km; listed fares as checked October 2026):

• Unreserved: Rs 500 in second class, Rs 240 in third.
• Reserved: only the air-conditioned first-class car can be reserved on this line, at Rs 1,100, on two trains a day each way.

More in our guide to the Colombo to Galle train.

Colombo Fort to Jaffna (listed fares as checked October 2026):

• Unreserved: Rs 1,150 in second class, Rs 580 in third.
• Reserved seats are priced to Kankesanthurai, the end of the line just beyond Jaffna. On the Intercity: Rs 3,200 in first class, Rs 2,500 in second, Rs 1,800 in third. On other day trains: Rs 2,800, Rs 1,900 and Rs 1,600.
• On the Night Mail, an air-conditioned first-class seat is Rs 3,200 and a first-class berth Rs 4,950.

Nanu Oya to Ella, the section open now (listed fares as checked October 2026):

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

When do the trains run?

Sri Lanka Railways' own timetable page has been offline for an upgrade since June 2026 (as checked October 2026). To see which trains run on a date, search your journey on seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, which lists trains and times with seats on sale, or ask at the station. Notices of changed services appear on railway.gov.lk.

Nanu Oya to Ella. As checked October 2026, trains leave Nanu Oya for Ella and Badulla at 9:00 every day, at 14:30 every day except Wednesday, and at 13:00 on Wednesdays only (the Ella Odyssey). The ride to Ella takes about two and a half hours. These trains offer reserved seats in air-conditioned first class and in second class. Book from Nanu Oya, not Kandy.

Colombo to Jaffna. Not every train runs every day: the early-morning Intercity runs Fridays to Mondays, the Yal Devi on alternate days, and the Night Mail leaves Colombo Fort at 8 pm. Timetables have changed several times this year, so check the booking site for your date.

How do you cancel a train ticket?

To cancel, go to a station that has the booking system, with the e-ticket and your passport; online cancellation is not offered (as checked October 2026):

• More than 7 days before departure: you get back 75% of the ticket price.
• Between 7 days and 48 hours: 50%.
• In the last 48 hours: nothing.

The booking fee is never refunded. If Sri Lanka Railways cancels your train, ask for a refund at one of those stations.

Tips for the day you travel

• For an unreserved ticket, arrive at the station well before departure: tickets are sold only on the day, sometimes from about an hour before the train, and queues at big stations can be long.
• With a reserved e-ticket you do not need to queue for a ticket, but allow time for ID checks at the entrance.
• Carry the passport you booked with.
• Arriving by air? Our guide to getting from Colombo airport covers the road while the line to Kandy is closed.

Questions people ask

What is the official Sri Lanka Railways website for tickets?

The official booking site is seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, the Sri Lanka Railways Seat Reservations and E-Warrant System. There is also an official Android app, "Sri Lanka Railways Reservation". Service notices appear on railway.gov.lk (as checked October 2026).

How do I buy Kandy to Ella train tickets?

As checked October 2026, no train runs from Kandy to Ella because of cyclone damage. Trains run from Nanu Oya to Ella and Badulla, so book from Nanu Oya on the official site, up to 30 days ahead.

How far in advance can I book a train in Sri Lanka?

Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before the day of travel, and you can book online until 2 hours before the train leaves (as checked October 2026). Unreserved tickets are sold only at the station on the day.

How much is the train from Colombo to Jaffna?

At the listed fares (tables effective August 2022, checked October 2026), an unreserved ticket costs Rs 1,150 in second class and Rs 580 in third. A reserved Intercity seat to Kankesanthurai costs Rs 3,200 in first class, Rs 2,500 in second and Rs 1,800 in third.

Do foreigners pay more for train tickets in Sri Lanka?

No. Foreign visitors pay the same fares as Sri Lankans; there is no separate tourist fare. Booking online adds a 5% fee, which is not refunded if you cancel.