Slow · Colombo to Jaffna
Colombo Fort to Jaffna in about six hours, the long way up through the dry zone. Book a sleeper and arrive at dawn.
The experience
The northern line runs from Colombo Fort up through the dry zone to Jaffna in around six hours. Taken overnight it costs you nothing in daylight: you board in the capital, sleep through the middle of the island, and step onto the platform in the north as it gets light.
It is also the cheap way to do it. Fares run from a few dollars in the ordinary classes to around twenty-five for a berth, which is less than the fuel for the same journey by road and considerably more comfortable than the bus.
The sleeper is the reason to take this train rather than fly or drive. Berths are limited and they go first, so this is one to reserve rather than turn up for.
What to expect
Good to know
Berths are the reason to take this train and there are not many of them. They are taken first and cannot reliably be bought on the day.
Run overnight, the six hours cost you no daylight at either end, and Jaffna is opening as you arrive.
North through the dry zone rather than along the coast. Little of it is scenic in the hill-country sense; that is not what this journey is for.
Carry water and something to eat. Catering on the northern line is not something to plan an evening around.
Jaffna, in a route
Best done from Jaffna, with the rest of the route built around it.
