The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017
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Item History of the Uva Railway from Peradeniya to Badulla The highest broad gauge line(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Munasinghe, I.The scope of this study includes a presentation of the development of the construction of the Uva railway from Peradeniya to Badulla during the period from 1872 to 1924. The construction of the Uva railway of 111 miles took nearly 52 years witnessing the reigns of three British monarchs and the involvement of ten British governors from Sir William Gregory (1872-1877) to Sir William H. Manning (1918-1925). If the Colombo-Kandy railway has had the honour of introducing the first railway line in Sri Lanka, it was the Uva line which has the honour of registering the broad gauge line 5´6" to ever reach the altitude of 6226 feet at the summit of Pattipola. The railway line from Colombo to Badulla is about 150 miles in length. In terms of engineering marvel and scenery, this line especially the Uva railway from Peradeniya via Idalgashinna, Haputale, Diyatalawa, Bandarawela, Demodara and Hali-Ela to Badulla is considered to be one of the finest train journeys in the world. In England, during the 19th century, railway lines were constructed and operated by private enterprise. The complete absence of any state participation in this sphere was not only an indication of the ability and willingness of private capital to engage in economic activities of such magnitude, but was also a reflection of the prevailing economic concept of laissez-faire. In contrast, the role of the colonial governments in countries was different, in that railways fell within the category of public works and hence constituted a legitimate sphere of government activity. In actual fact, there was no deliberation on this point. It was always assumed that the state should be the main vehicle in colonies of railway expansion or take a large part in the decision for railway construction. To the colonial government in Sri Lanka, the construction of railways in the colony was a necessary requisite for the advancement of production, trade and commerce of the island. Any discussion of policy should therefore be based on analysing the degree of government support given to any particular line. Regarding the Uva railway, it is evident that the profitability of it was the main factor in determining its construction. The extensive surveys and the estimates carried out suggest that the colonial government as cautious in undertaking this railway line especially up to Haputale. There is no doubt whatsoever that the railways were initiated and rapidly expanded due to the continuous clamour by the planters. The policy of the Governor Arthur Havelock (1890-1896) regarding the rail extension to Nanu-oya and Uva was to give consideration to such railway projects only as can be shown to offer a fair degree of certainty of profit sufficient to cover all the charges incidental to the construction and to undertake such projects in the order of their relative importance in respect of the interest which they will serve. Hence it is clear that at no time the colonial government was willing to promote planting interests only without due regard to the effect on the general economy and revenue of the island. This does not however mean that the planting community were not the main beneficiaries of the Uva Railway. Since it was the planting industry which provided the bulk of the government revenue, it is natural that the railways should be stated to serve the planting regions. What is contested here is the thesis that the colonial government championed the planting interests with no regard to consequences on the traditional sectors of the economy.Item Railway Expansion in Central Provinces (Middle India) during colonial Period(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Koreti, S.I.Transport is an important infrastructure indispensable for the development process of a country. Without proper means of transport and communications it may not be possible for any government to administer a vast country like India. Indian railways played a vital role in the economic development and integration of India. It has brought about remarkable changes in the economic, political, social and cultural life of the country. The introduction of Railways, which is one of the legacies of the British rule in India, has not only caused a remarkable increase in the quick communication between different parts of India but also resulted in profound changes in the habits and outlook of the people. Railways were the most important infrastructure development in India from 1850 to 1947. In terms of the economy, railways played a major role in integrating markets and increasing trade. Domestic and international economic trends shaped the pace of railways construction and the demand for the important traffic flows to the ports. The traditional way of trade and commerce has totally changed, and the volume of the trade increased manifold. The railway expansion in Central Provinces affected the local cotton trade tremendously and boosted up the volume of cotton export from Central Provinces to the international market. The railway has brought fortune for some traders and business people but at the same time affected the lives of the local societies dealing with the supply and transport of the cotton. In the nineteenth century, cotton was in great demand in the world market as a cash crop. The need for raw cotton during the industrial revolution motivated Great Britain to colonize the rich cotton growing lands in India. The Central Provinces of India (middle India) were geographically known for cotton growing. The cotton connection with Central Provinces played a major role in shaping and reshaping the economy and society. Thus, the researcher has tried to analyze the facts and tried to present the merits and demerits of railway expansion in the economy of the Central provinces and its people.Item Road to Jaffna –Road to Reconciliation in Sri Lanka(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Thalpawila, O.N.As a result of the civil war in Sri Lanka, the entire road network and many bridges in the Northern and the Eastern provinces had been destroyed or rendered practically unusable due to armed attacks and negligence of maintenance for a long time. The Northern Railway from Colombo to Kankesanthurai (KKS) has been the most popular transport service to the North since the British era. Besides the thousands of passengers, the main transportation of goods, fuel, and the mail was by rail for a long time. Likewise, the Talaimannar railway service was linked with the ferry service between Rameswaram in India and the Talaimannar Pier in Sri Lanka. This railway service was very popular among the passengers of the two countries. However, the two railway lines were completely destroyed by the LTTE and they robbed the steel bars of the track to build their bunkers in the war period. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the reconstruction process of roads and railway networks in the former war affected areas and its affect to the community and reconciliation in the country. The primary and the secondary data were used for this study. The government believed that as seen from an economic perspective, the reconstructed and developed highways and railway networks would help to speed up and facilitate the budding development projects and in terms of peace they would help to reconnect all ethnic groups in the rest of the country with those in Northern Sri Lanka. With the help of the world financial institutions and donor countries the government reconstructed the road and railway network in the North and the East provinces and reconnected the entire nation with former war affected areas. It was observed that now people could travel from the South to Jaffna and Batticaloa by road very comfortably without any checkpoints, barriers or other hassles. The newly renovated highway and railway networks facilitate the conduct of passenger services well. Further, visits of the local tourists from the South have renewed the relationships between both races, which augurs well for reconciliation in the country.Item Promoting Railway Tourism in Si Lanka(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Rathnayake, S.; Rathnayake, S.Accessibility is one of the main components in tourism destination. Traveling by train is a famous accessibility method of the tourism industry. Railway tourism or train tourism is not a new concept. It dates back to late 1800s, when railway were developed and expanded many sectors of the world. This study is a desk research about the development of railway tourism, Indian railway market and identifies issues of Sri Lankan railway tourism and promoting furthermore. The basis of foundation of railway tourism was placed by the United Kingdom. As our main industry competitor, India has utilized their railway potentials for the tourism industry in a profitable manner. Tour operators use good marketing campaigns and introduce flexible packages to increase railway tourist market. Although there are many resources in Sri Lanka as well, those have not been properly used. Travel companies in Sri Lanka, giving chance for travelers to experience the train tours as a part of their main tour package. Mainly “JF tours” and “Exporails” travel companies promote railway tourism in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) with the collaboration of Railway department, plans to launch a new accommodation project in railway stations. To face the competition, Sri Lanka has to have a good plan together with private and public sectors. Moreover, it is essential to use powerful marketing strategies to attract more railway travellers to the destination.