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Kandy to Ella, now the train line is closed
The most famous train ride in Sri Lanka is only half running. Here is what is open, what is not, and how to travel the route without missing the part everyone comes for.
Home › Kandy to Ella
The most famous train ride in Sri Lanka is only half running. Here is what is open, what is not, and how to travel the route without missing the part everyone comes for.
The short answer
Nanu Oya to Ella and on to Badulla. Reopened on 18 July 2026 and running normally. This is the scenic stretch, through Ambewela and Haputale and over the Demodara loop.
Kandy to Nanu Oya. Still under repair after the Cyclone Ditwah landslides in November 2025. There is no through service.
So the journey is still possible, but not in one train. You travel the first part by road and join the railway at Nanu Oya.
The good news is that the closed section is the least remarkable one. Kandy to Hatton is pleasant rather than extraordinary, and the scenery people picture when they imagine this journey, the tea terraces, the ridges and the waterfalls, begins south of Nanu Oya. You are not missing the highlight.
Why
In late November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah brought flooding and landslides across the Central Highlands. The hill country railway was badly hit, with damage reported at more than two hundred separate locations along the main line, from washed out track to collapsed embankments.
Repairs have been running in stages ever since, and sections have come back one at a time. Ambewela to Badulla returned in January 2026. The full Nanu Oya to Ella scenic section followed on 18 July 2026.
The remaining work between Kandy and Nanu Oya is the hardest part, through the steepest terrain. Sri Lanka Railways has confirmed that restoration of the full Kandy to Ella service is underway, but full reinstatement of the line is not expected before early 2027. Some reports suggest the Kandy to Nanu Oya section could reopen sooner, towards the end of 2026. No official start date has been announced.
What to do
This is what most travellers are doing now, and what I would suggest.
About three to four hours through Ramboda and the tea country, with stops. I can collect you from your hotel in Kandy and drop you at Nanu Oya station in time for your train.
Around two and a quarter hours, and the part worth having. Sit on the right hand side leaving Nanu Oya for the valley views.
Your luggage travels with me rather than on your lap, and I am at Ella station when you arrive. No taxi negotiation with a backpack.
Reserved seats on the scenic leg sell out in busy months. Book a few days ahead if your dates are fixed.
The other option
Some guests skip the train and take the road all the way to Ella. It takes roughly five to six hours with stops, and you see things a train window cannot give you.
Ramboda Falls, a working tea factory with a tasting, the Gregory Lake area at Nuwara Eliya, and the viewpoints above the Uva valley.
You stop when you want, you are not tied to a timetable, and your bags stay in the vehicle. It suits families and anyone who does not fancy a crowded carriage.
Once in Ella, the usual days out are Little Adam's Peak, the Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls, all of which I can drive you to.
Practical
Yes, the scenic part of it. The Nanu Oya to Ella section reopened on 18 July 2026 and is running normally. What you cannot do at the moment is board in Kandy and stay on the same train to Ella.
Kandy to Nanu Oya is about three to four hours depending on traffic and how many stops you want. Kandy all the way to Ella by road is roughly five to six hours. Mountain roads here are slow, so allow more time than the distance suggests.
Yes. The road climbs through Ramboda and the tea estates, past waterfalls and viewpoints, and you can stop wherever you like. Many guests tell me afterwards that the drive was one of their favourite days, not a compromise.
It depends on where you start, whether you want the road only or the road and train combination, and whether you take the car or the van. Send me a message on WhatsApp with your dates and I will give you a price.
No official date has been given. Sri Lanka Railways has said restoration is underway, and full reinstatement is not expected before early 2027, though the Kandy to Nanu Oya section may return sooner. Check the Railway Department before you travel, as this is changing month by month.
I am Sanjeewa, a licensed tourist driver with more than twenty years of experience, based in Tangalle but driving all over the island. I do this route regularly and I know which trains connect and how long the road really takes.
Tell me your dates and where you are staying, and I will tell you the best way to do it.
Message me on WhatsAppLast checked 26 September 2026. Railway repairs are ongoing and the situation changes, so please confirm current services with Sri Lanka Railways before you travel.