Sri Lanka’s Railway Department cancels 20 office trains due to ongoing strike

The Railway Department announced that 20 office trains were canceled this morning (June 10) due to the ongoing strike by the Sri Lanka Railway Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union.

The strike, now in its fourth day, has caused significant disruptions to train services.

The strike began at midnight on Thursday (June 6), as a protest against several issues, including delays in second-class promotions for locomotive drivers and slow recruitment processes.

As a result, over 50 scheduled train journeys were canceled yesterday (June 9) alone.

The union’s Secretary, S.R.C.M. Senanayake has warned that if their demands are not addressed, the union would escalate their trade union action.

The strike currently involves locomotive drivers from two of the five running sheds, which means no power set trains are operating.

The disruption has affected thousands of commuters who rely on the railway for their daily transportation.

The Railway Department has yet to announce any measures to mitigate the impact of the strike or to resolve the issues raised by the union.