Galle railway station

Galle
Sri Lankan Railway Station

Entrance porch to Galle railway station
Location Galle
Sri Lanka
Owned by Sri Lanka Railways
Line(s) Coastal Line (Sri Lanka)
Other information
Status Functioning
Electrified No

Galle railway station is a railway station in the southern city of Galle in Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-run railway operator, the station is part of the Coast Line, which links Sri Lanka's south coast with the Colombo.

Location

Galle Station is located in the centre of Galle. It is just northwest of the Galle International Cricket Ground. Galle's City Hall is next to the station and the historic Galle Fort is a short distance from the station.

Layout

A Class Y shunting locomotive at Galle

Galle station is designed as a terminus station. Thus trains have to back out of the station to continue towards an onward destination. Passengers enter the station from the south and trains approach from the north.

The station's terminal layout has posed some problems in its operation, since all trains have to change directions and reverse out of the station to continue on to their destinations. This can cause long turn-around times and it places the passengers in the opposite direction of where they had been facing.

In 2011, diesel multiple units (DMU) were introduced, as part of a line upgrade. The DMUs reduce turn-around times as locomotives do not need to run around and change ends.

Architecture

The solid massing and geometry of Galle station demonstrates the mid-twentieth-century International Style.

Galle station is an example of Modernism. The station conforms to the International Style, and uses concrete massing to create a geometric form. Its minimalist walls and simple, bold forms offer a contrast from the highly-ornamented, traditional and colonial architecture that surrounds it. Yet the building is symmetric, to tie back to the surrounding architecture and facilitate movement through the building towards the platforms. This contributes to the station's layout as a terminus station. The façade also demonstrates a contrast between the use of different materials. The ornament-free painted surface provides a contrast with the natural stone surface.

The portion of the building that houses the platforms is of a different, more utilitarian design. This features a metal structure that only covers the platforms, but not the trains.

Services

An old M4 locomotive at Galle Station
An intercity train at Galle station

Galle station is served by the Ruhunu Kumari, Galu Kumari, and Samudra Devi trains. Various other services also operate at Galle.[1] Local trains within the Southern Province connect Galle with Matara, calling at local stations along the route.

Inter-city trains

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Service[2] Route[2] Frequency[2]
8039 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily
8040 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily
8050 & 8051 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily
8053 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Sundays
8056 & 8057 Galu Kumari Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily
8058 & 8059 Ruhunu Kumari Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily
8085 & 8086 Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily
8093 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Saturdays
8096 & 8097 Sagarika Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Daily (Different times for weekends)
8311 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle - Matara Daily
8320 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Saturday – Sunday
8321 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Saturday – Sunday
8327 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Daily (Different times for Sundays)
8713 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Monday – Friday
8714 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Monday – Friday
8760 & 8327 Samudra Devi Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Monday – Friday
8764 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Daily (Different times for weekends)
8766 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle – Matara Monday – Friday
8775 Colombo Maradana – Colombo Fort – Panadura - Galle Daily

Local trains

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Service[2] Route[2] Frequency[2]
8752, 8338, 8340, 8345, & 8368 Local trains Galle – Matara Monday – Friday

Continuity

Preceding station   Sri Lanka Railways   Following station
Richmond Hill   Coastal Line   Katugoda

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Galle railway station.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.infolanka.com/org/mrail/rroutes.html The Rail Routes of Sri Lanka
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Train Schedule". Government Information Centre. Government of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 November 2012.


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