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From Bullock Cart to Train

A train going along the hill country Colombo-Badulla rail line in the 1900s. (source)

In 1864 the Rail was introduced to Ceylon, the motivation behind this was again to transport coffee. With the coffee blight of 1871, tea estates replaced coffee estates, and trains transported the product from the hill country down to Colombo, from where it will be shipped across the world.

With the development of the railroad, the demand for a mode of cheap and quick transport increased. Trains which were mostly used to transport goods now were a major mode of transport for the Ceylonese people.

A Sentinel-Cammell from the 1900s (left), and one running in modern times.  (source, source)

To this day Sri Lankans and tourists commute in trains that go on the very railroad routes left behind by the British rulers. Some of the popular routes are the main Colombo-Kandy line, Nanu Oya, also the railroad connecting the south to the North.

The Introduction of Buses

Double Decker bus donated by the U.K. in 1953. (source)

With the development of the railroad, land roads were not forgotten. To this day land roads are the major mode of transport preferred by the islanders. As the world progressed so did automobiles, and buses were eventually introduced to Ceylon in 1907.

The first passenger bus service was one private bus running from Colombo to Chilaw, operating till 1958. Slowly the number of private buses increased causing competition amongst bus owners to get more passengers. Due to this and certain misconducts committed by the private bus owners, the government established the CTB (present-day SLTB) in 1958.

The first national bus service began with Mercedes Benz omnibuses imported from Germany. The national bus service did very well, and at its peak was the biggest omnibus company in the world with ~7000 buses and over 50,000 employees.

The first CTB bus from the national service that began its run in 1958 (left) and a present-day SLTB bus (right). (source, source)

Today 18,562 buses are operating across the country and are still the main mode of transport for a majority of Sri Lankans.

Old CTB bus running close to Galle (source)

Buses are the most versatile mode of transport if you want to get from one location to the next.

“ Magiya” is a booking system that offers you more than just ticket reservations, we provide bus itineraries for every route within the country, including information on transits.