Denuwara Manike train journey to Badulla: Excellent despite shortcomings

By Palitha B. Jayatissa

On 20 February, my family members and I made a journey on the Denuwara Manike train, the latest addition to Sri Lanka Railways’ rolling stock, from Colombo to Badulla. Our return journey to Colombo took place on the same train on 22 February.

The facilities available on board are excellent with some latest additions to the Sri Lanka Railways service such as current speed indicators, train stop station details and comfortable reclining seats on second class cabins that are ideally suited for long-haul train journeys that last for several hours.

The key persons who spearheaded this admirable initiative, including the Minister in charge and relevant officers at Sri Lanka Railways deserve the salute of the nation for their impressive accomplishment.

However, the following facts have to be brought to light, solely for the purpose of improvement and upliftment of this magnificent service to be enjoyed by thousands of local and foreign visitors.

The staff members/stewards in the “privately-managed” restaurant car serving snacks and beverages must be conversant in English as majority of the passengers are foreigners. The stewards also need to be of an acceptable age and dressed in a smart uniform while carrying out their duties. The only steward who was available was wearing dirty clothing and slippers whilst performing such duties, which is a disgrace to such an admirable train service. 

Basic hospitality training is highly recommended for these stewards so that instances such as “tossing sugar from the sugar container into the cup” would not take place in front of a passenger, as experienced by myself during this visit.

We as Sri Lankans take great pride in growing some of the best tasting and breathtakingly aromatic teas in the world. Nevertheless, the tea offered in the restaurant carriage seems to have completely missed the wagon on the quality and taste of a real Ceylon cup of tea. The irony is that it was served while we were passing some beautifully maintained lush green tea estates! 

Sri Lanka Railways could rectify this issue easily by resorting to good quality tea, coffee, sugar and milk in sachet form so that consistency and international standards are adhered to in this world-renowned train journey. I’m confident that passengers wouldn’t mind paying a premium for such a standard of service.

At the beginning of the journey, the lavatories were found to be in a clean, well-maintained state. As the journey progressed, due to usage, the condition of the lavatories got deteriorated and started to become an unpleasant place to visit. Therefore, it is highly recommendable to have the lavatories cleaned at the middle of the journey (ideally at Nanu Oya on both upward and downward journeys) for the lavatories to maintain hygienic state until the end of the journey. This could be easily achieved in a country where thousands of ‘Samurdhi’ recipients are available.

This initiative is being suggested due to the fact that during my long train journeys in India, I have witnessed service personnel cleaning lavatories at designated stations mid-journey on a regular basis to maintain their hygiene and cleanliness. In India, the ground staff use small petrol engine driven portable pressure water pumps that are convenient and efficient in completing the task in a very short time.