Sri Lanka railway to provide backpacker tourist accommodation

Mar 31, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's Tourism Development Authority together with the Railway Department will explore providing tourist accommodation to budget travelers.

Under the scheme, the Railway Department will renovate discarded railway carriages and lease out unused land to create accommodation facilities for tourists in railway stations.

Initially the project will focus on railway stations such as Colombo Yard, Mahaiyawa Sub Railway, Nanu Oya, Ambewela, Ella and Dodanduwa. The Railway Department also intends to derive an additional income through this new initiative.

The initiative is a joint proposal made by Transport Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. The proposed project will be implemented in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority with the due approval of the cabinet.