How to book a train ticket in Sri Lanka
Chances are you’ve heard of and come across photos of the spectacular hill country train ride from Kandy to Ella. Weaving in and out of emerald-green tea fields and mist covered hills make for a very alluring picture indeed but the logistics of scoring a ticket to get on the said train ride are rather tricky.
From the outset it’s important to know that Sri Lanka Railways does not have an online booking system. Yes, that sentence still applies in 2020!
The second most important thing to know is tickets are strictly only released at 10am local time, 30 days before the date of the journey so some level of planning is necessary if you want a seat on the train.
Do I HAVE to pre-book?
There are three categories of train tickets so whether you need to pre-book depends on how comfortable you want the journey to be.
The third class is a free-for-all system where there are no reserved seats and you fight for space in a carriage packed to the brim as a sardine tin. It’s almost always standing room only and once the adrenaline rush of actually getting on the train wears off, you will be questioning your life choices when you realise the next 6 hours you have to spend plastered to your fellow passengers. We only recommend this category of travel for the truly adventurous types without much luggage. On the plus side, you don’t need to plan in advance to buy a ticket - just rock up to the station on the day, buy a ticket and take your chances in the scrum.
The second and first class reserved categories are far more comfortable ways to travel. The second class gives you carriages with windows that open, reasonably comfy padded seats and most importantly a reserved seat that is yours. You won’t really miss the lack of air-conditioning as the overhead fans keep you cool and the open windows allow for plenty of cool breeze. If it rains and the windows need to be shut, things could get a little steamy though.
So the most comfortable option then is first class, which gives you a reserved, comfortable seat in an air-conditioned carriage. The windows here can’t be opened so you do miss out on the fresh hill country air but you are free to roam around the carriage. You would want to try your luck for the coveted spot on the floor in one of the open doorways between carriages, where you can dangle your feet (or body) from the (slowly)moving train and get that perfectly-timed photo to brag about.
How do I pre-book?
The short answer is if you want a guaranteed first or second class seat on the very popular Kandy to Ella (or in reverse direction) train you need to line up at the ticket counter at one of the main stations (Colombo Fort, Kandy, Nanu Oya, Ella, Badulla) at 10am on the day the tickets are released - i.e. exactly 30 days before the date of your journey. If that sounds like ridiculous advice then that is because it is!
Firstly, you are probably not going to be in Sri Lanka 30 days before the date of your train journey. Secondly, even if you do line up, chances are all the tickets will be gone by 10.05am making for a frustrating morning, to say the least. This train ride is actually that popular and the limited seats on first and second class carriages mean it’s almost always sold out, specially during the high season of December to April.
But do not despair, as there are other options.
Leave it to us
The least stressful option would be to leave it to on-the-ground travel expert (like ourselves) who will do the hard work on your behalf, purchase the train tickets and have them delivered to your hotel in Sri Lanka.
Phone in
If you do happen to be in Sri Lanka 30 days before the date of your journey then you have the option of the phone booking system through one of the two biggest mobile phone carriers in Sri Lanka - Dialog or Mobitel. You will need to buy yourself a local sim, which is cheap and easy to buy. Best option is to buy it on arrival at Colombo International Airport at the Dialog or Mobitel counters. Once you buy the sim if you do want to utilise the phone booking system, you need to recharge it with enough credit to cover the cost of a train ticket (LKR 2000 per ticket), which again can be done at the time you purchase your sim.
The rest if pretty straightforward. 30 days before the date of your journey tickets will go on sale at 10am so it’s important to be quick off the mark if you are travelling during a particularly busy period like Christmas or Easter holidays.
Dial 444 on Dialog or 365 on Mobitel, at around 9.55am. This is not an exaggeration. Tickets do sell out often so get in the virtual line and have your passport numbers and travel details ready - travel date, starting and ending stations, train departure time and the number of tickets required. You can find the train times on Sri Lanka Railway website or on Seat 61 Sri Lanka.
Once you get through to a call centre assistant you can proceed with the booking and they will charge your pre-paid mobile account for the cost of train tickets. Do make sure you double check all details as Sri Lanka Railways are notorious for not being flexible so you won’t be able to change details or get a refund later.
Once your account has been charged for the train tickets you can visit the train station on the day of travel (get there at least half an hour ahead of your scheduled departure time), visit the M-Ticketing counter, show your passport and the text message you would’ve got from your mobile phone carrier confirming your booking to obtain the tickets.
Use an on-line agent
The third option is to go through an online agent who will do the above, at an extra cost, and have your tickets delivered to you. While we haven’t tried and tested this method, 12Go Asia is a well-known rail bookings provider throughout South East Asia and is thought to be reliable.
Yes, it does sound like a lot of work to get on that train but we promise it will be a journey of a lifetime. And don’t forget, leaving it to us to do the hard work on your behalf is always an option so do get in touch!
