The Kandy to Ella Journey (Upcountry Line)

Sri Lanka Railways (Department of Railways, Government of Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka
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The Journey

Navigate from Kandy Railway Station (originally 1867, rebuilt 1920s) to Ella Railway Station (originally 1918) across a span of 164km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Ceylon Tea Estates — Dambatenne, Pedro, Talawakelle, Maskeliya plantations visible from the train
  • Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya) — colonial 'Little England' hill station at 1,868 m
  • Nine Arches Bridge (Demodara) — 91 m span, 30 m tall, built 1921 of stone and brick alone
  • Demodara loop / S-bridge — track spirals 270° and tunnels beneath itself to gain elevation
  • Haputale tea-factory views and Lipton's Seat panorama (5,500 ft / 1,676 m)
  • Maskeliya Reservoir and Castlereagh Reservoir — dramatic mountain reservoir views near Hatton
  • Pattipola / Ambewela plains — Sri Lanka's highest railway at 1,898 m, often cold and misty
  • St Clair and Devon waterfalls cascading into the valley below the track
  • Hand-pickers on the steep tea slopes — women in bright saris picking on 45° gradients visible from the carriage
  • Kirkoswald, Kadugannawa and the Lower Kadugannawa tunnel approaches just south of Kandy
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    7 hours

  • Distance

    164 km

  • Est. Price

    LKR 300 (3rd class unreserved) – 5,000 (Ella Odyssey first class); most tourists pay LKR 600–1,250 for 2nd reserved or 1st AC

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: Snack pack and tea included

Ensuite: No

Meals: Snack pack, tea, breakfast included

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

Sri Lanka Railways diesel locomotives — predominantly Chinese-built Class S12 (CSR Ziyang, 1,350 hp / 1,007 kW Co'Co' diesel-electric) and older Indian-built Class S14 (DLW Varanasi, 1,400 hp / 1,044 kW); some M2 and M4 diesel-hydraulic units still in service on lighter workings

Locomotive Weight

Class S12: approximately 90 tonnes; Class S14: approximately 74 tonnes

Track Gauge

1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge — the same gauge as the rest of the Sri Lanka Railways network

Braking Technology

Compressed air (locomotive) plus vacuum-braked heritage passenger stock; newer S12-hauled reserved trains use air-braked stock throughout

Route Engineering Challenges

  • Steep gradients on the main line — the Pattipola–Ambewela section is graded 1 in 44 (2.27 %) — within the operational limits of all-up trains but requiring careful braking discipline on descents

  • Numerous tight curves (8-chain / 161 m radius minimum) on the mountain extension requiring restricted speeds

  • Tunnel-rich alignment — over 40 tunnels between Hatton and Ella, including the Demodara spiral tunnel which passes beneath the train's own track 280 m ahead

  • Frequent weather disruptions (landslides, embankment slips, fallen trees) during the south-west monsoon April–September — line closures of 1–3 days at a time are common

  • Nine Arches Bridge — 91 m span, 30 m tall, built 1921 entirely of stone and brick (no reinforcing steel) because World War I had diverted all imported steel; still in daily freight-and-passenger use

  • Reconstruction programme — following the 2014 Uma Oya and 2016 Aranayake landslides, bridge-and-track works have closed parts of the route for years; Nanu Oya–Ambewela reopened 20 June 2026, but Peradeniya bridge remains under construction (full restoration expected 2027)

Route operator

Sri Lanka Railways (Department of Railways, Government of Sri Lanka)

Route distance

164 km (Kandy–Ella, full route when restored)

Maximum elevation

~1,898 m above sea level at Pattipola — the highest conventional railway summit in South Asia

Notable structures

Nine Arches Bridge (Demodara, 91 m span, 30 m tall, 1921); Demodara spiral loop; 40+ tunnels; numerous stone-and-brick viaducts on the mountain extension

Average speed

~23 km/h (deliberately slow scenic pace; slower in monsoon)

Original opening dates

Colombo–Kandy 1864; Peradeniya–Nawalapitiya 1874; to Hatton 1884; to Nanu Oya 1885; to Bandarawela 1893; to Badulla 1894

2026 status

Partial service — Nanu Oya–Badulla section reopened 20 June 2026; Peradeniya bridge under reconstruction; full restoration expected 2027

Electrification

None — fully diesel-hauled

Named services

Train 1015 'Podi Menike' (Little Maiden); Train 1009 'Udarata Menike' (Maiden of the Hills)

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    7 hours

  • Distance

    164 km

  • Est. Price

    LKR 300 (3rd class unreserved) – 5,000 (Ella Odyssey first class); most tourists pay LKR 600–1,250 for 2nd reserved or 1st AC

Official Booking Provider