TEA TRAILS RAIL – 1st LEG - COLOMBO TO POLGAHAWELA
It took me some time to how best I could re-discover the Tea Trails by Rail and finally decided the best way was by a passenger Train called ‘Uda Rata Menike,’ literally meaning ‘Damsel of the Hills.’ From Colombo Fort Railway Station to Badulla, the capital city of Uva region runs through the central hills, home of the most beautiful tea growing areas of Hatton, Talawakelle, Nanu-oya, Bandarawela and Demodera.
The journey begins its humble journey at an elevation of 14 feet from sea level at Fort Station Colombo and reaches 6224 feet above sea level at a place called Pattipola, close to Nuwara Eliya. Two entirely different climatic conditions can be experienced within a spate of six hours. Construction of the railway track from Colombo to Badulla was indeed a monumental task for the British engineers who started the work in 1865 and went on and on over a period sixty years of extremely harsh and unfriendly environmental conditions. The engineering nightmares are clearly evident from the numerous tunnels and bridges snaking through rocky and steep mountains, across streams and rivers. The entire route is approximately 180 miles or 300 km in length and the Colombo-Badulla line is ranked among one of the greatest railway lines in the world, with 44 tunnels and over 80 stations.
When the British firmly rooted themselves in the island and started coffee plantations, a Rail system became an urgent need in view of the flourishing plantations in the central highlands. The produce required a quick and reliable mode of transport.
The first major stations we come are Ragama and Veyangoda. From Veyangoda the tract gradually climbs and comes to Polgahawela, which is an important junction. It is from here the rail-road branches off to northern Jaffna, Batticaloa in the east, Kandy and Badulla on the Upcountry main-line and to Mannar in the north-west.
Since I am taking you on my tea trails towards Badulla, will take a break and join you to journey towards Hatton through the rocky tunnels of Kadugannawa.
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