GoAsia

Kandy to Ella Train: What Runs Now

No train runs from Kandy to Ella at present. Rail travel to Ella starts at Nanu Oya, where two trains a day run to Ella and Badulla.

Scenic  Sri Lanka

There is no train from Kandy to Ella at the moment. Government information of 1 October 2026 says train services between Peradeniya and Kandy remain suspended because the Peradeniya Black Bridge is not finished, and that restoration continues on the Gampola to Nawalapitiya and Hatton to Nanu Oya sections.[1]

What does run is the last part of the route. Special trains have operated between Nanu Oya and Badulla, through Ella, since 20 June 2026, after the Ambewela to Nanu Oya section that Cyclone Ditwah washed out was repaired.[2] To ride to Ella you first have to reach Nanu Oya another way, for example by road from Kandy, and board there.

Ella

Map: Natural Earth (public domain) · Lines drawn through the stations of each service

Which train to take

Two trains a day run from Nanu Oya towards Ella. Train 1005 leaves Nanu Oya at 09:00 every day and is scheduled at Ella at 11:27. Train 1015 leaves at 14:30 and reaches Ella at 16:57, but it does not run on Wednesdays. On Wednesdays the Ella Odyssey, train 1043, runs instead, leaving Nanu Oya at 13:00 and reaching Ella at 15:21.[2]

In the other direction, train 1016 leaves Ella at 09:52 and reaches Nanu Oya at 12:16, and train 1006 leaves Ella at 15:52 and reaches Nanu Oya at 18:06. Train 1016 does not run on Wednesdays. The Wednesday train 1044 leaves Ella at 08:43 and reaches Nanu Oya at 11:29. All six trains continue to or come from Badulla, and Ella is one of their stops after Ambewela, Pattipola, Ohiya, Idalgashinna, Haputale, Diyatalawa and Bandarawela.[2]

The railway published one time per station in its notice, and its own timetable page was marked as under development on the day it was checked, so look at the booking site for the exact trains on your date.[3]

Classes and fares

According to the notice, each of these trains carries reservable seats in air-conditioned first class and in second class.[2] The railway's booking system lists observation saloon, air-conditioned saloon, second class and third class as the types of seat it sells on its reservable trains.[4]

On the railway's rate sheet, an ordinary ticket from Kandy to Ella over 162.63 km costs 1,200 rupees in first class, 600 in second class and 300 in third class. From Nanu Oya to Ella, 64.54 km, the sheet gives 600, 300 and 160 rupees.[5] These are distance rates for ordinary tickets, so use the booking site to see the price of a reserved seat on your date.

How to book

Seats are booked on the railway's online seat reservation site. You create an account, log in and enter a passport or ID number for every passenger. Booking opens 30 days before departure and closes 2 hours before it, one booking covers at most five seats, and the system picks the seats for you. A 5% convenience fee is added, and you pay by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, Discover or LANKAQR.[4]

The ticket arrives by email. The railway says the station issues no paper ticket, so you travel on the e-ticket, printed or on a screen. To cancel, you go to a station counter with the ticket and your passport and get 75% of the fare back more than 168 hours before departure, 50% between 48 and 168 hours, and nothing within 48 hours. The service charge is not refunded.[4]

Seats can also be bought at stations that offer the service. The counter at Nanu Oya is listed as open from 07:00 to 23:00 and the one at Ella from 06:00 to 21:30.[6]

Stations

For now the trains to Ella start and end at Nanu Oya. Ella is a stop on the way to Badulla, about 20.8 km before the end of the line.[5]

Scenery

The line climbs from Kandy through the tea country of the hill country to Badulla. The railway's tourism brochure dates the arrival of the Main Line at Nanu Oya to 1885, Bandarawela to 1894 and Badulla to 1924.[7]

When the full journey will return

The government says services to Kandy and Matale are expected to resume once the Peradeniya bridge is finished, and it puts the share of the upcountry line that is operational at about 75%.[1] No reopening date for the Kandy to Nanu Oya stretch was found in the sources checked, so watch the railway's media notices before you plan around it.

Timetable

Kandy to Ella

TrainDepartsArrivesDaysClass
1005Special train09:00Nanu Oya11:27 ElladailyFirst class, air-conditioned, Second class
1043Ella Odyssey special13:00Nanu Oya15:21 EllaWednesday onlyFirst class, air-conditioned, Second class
1015Special train14:30Nanu Oya16:57 Elladaily except WednesdayFirst class, air-conditioned, Second class

Ella to Kandy

TrainDepartsArrivesDaysClass
1044Ella Odyssey special08:43Ella11:29 Nanu OyaWednesday onlyFirst class, air-conditioned, Second class
1016Special train09:52Ella12:16 Nanu Oyadaily except WednesdayFirst class, air-conditioned, Second class
1006Special train15:52Ella18:06 Nanu OyadailyFirst class, air-conditioned, Second class

Timetable source: Sri Lanka Railways notice of 18 June 2026 (special trains Nanu Oya to Badulla)[2]. Times change with timetable revisions. Check the operator's timetable before you travel.

Classes and fares

ClassTypeFare
First class, air-conditioned Air-conditioned first class, reservable on all trains named in the June 2026 notice.Soft seat Air-conditionedLKR 1,200[5] ordinary first-class rate, Kandy to Ella (162.63 km); reserved seats are priced on the booking site
Second class Reservable on all trains named in the June 2026 notice.Seat LKR 600[5] ordinary rate, Kandy to Ella; Nanu Oya to Ella 300
Third class Listed as a reservable type by the booking system; the June 2026 notice does not name it.Seat LKR 300[5] ordinary rate, Kandy to Ella; Nanu Oya to Ella 160

Stations

Main stations in travel order. Distances from the first station, where the operator publishes them.

  1. Kandy 0 km

    මහනුවර

    No trains run from here at present; Peradeniya to Kandy is suspended.

  2. Peradeniya Junction 5.9 km

    පේරාදෙණිය

  3. Hatton 65.9 km

    හැටන්

  4. Nanu Oya 98.1 km

    නානුඔය

    The trains to Ella and Badulla start here today; the ticket counter is listed as open 07:00 to 23:00.

  5. Haputale 139 km

    හපුතලේ

  6. Bandarawela 150.2 km

    බණ්ඩාරවෙල

  7. Ella 162.6 km

    ඇල්ල

    The ticket counter is listed as open 06:00 to 21:30.

How to book

  • Book with the operator

    SLR online seat reservation[4] · Sales open 30 days before departure.

  • At the station

    mTicketing counters, for example Nanu Oya 07:00 to 23:00 and Ella 06:00 to 21:30[6]

Sources and background

Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.

  1. [1] Government of Sri Lanka, news.lk: Train Services to Peradeniya and Gampola to Resume from October 2. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  2. [2] Sri Lanka Railways: Train services from Badulla to Nanu Oya have resumed after restoration of the Ambewela-Nanu Oya railway section damaged by Cyclone Ditwa (notice with timetable, 18 June 2026). Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  3. [3] Sri Lanka Railways: Train Schedule Notice (timetable page under development). Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  4. [4] Sri Lanka Railways: Online seat reservation FAQ. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  5. [5] Sri Lanka Railways: Ella: Passenger Ticket Rates (main line). Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  6. [6] Sri Lanka Railways: mTicketing service enabled stations for ticket printing and purchasing. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  7. [7] Sri Lanka Railways: Sri Lanka by Rail (tourism brochure). Retrieved October 18, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a train from Kandy to Ella now?

Not at the moment. Services between Peradeniya and Kandy are suspended, and the Gampola to Nawalapitiya and Hatton to Nanu Oya sections are still being restored, according to government information of 1 October 2026. Trains run only from Nanu Oya to Ella and Badulla.

Which trains run to Ella today?

From Nanu Oya, train 1005 leaves at 09:00 every day and train 1015 at 14:30 except Wednesdays. On Wednesdays the Ella Odyssey, train 1043, leaves at 13:00.

How do I book a seat?

On the railway's online seat reservation site, with an account and a passport or ID number for each passenger. Booking opens 30 days ahead and closes 2 hours before departure, and a 5% convenience fee is added.

How much is a ticket from Kandy to Ella?

The railway's rate sheet lists 1,200 rupees in first class, 600 in second and 300 in third for an ordinary ticket over 162.63 km. From Nanu Oya to Ella the sheet gives 600, 300 and 160 rupees. Check the booking site for reserved seat prices.

Can I use an e-ticket?

Yes. The railway says no paper ticket is issued for online bookings, so you travel on the e-ticket, printed or shown on a screen.

When will trains run from Kandy again?

No date has been announced in the sources checked. The government expects services to Kandy and Matale to resume once the Peradeniya Black Bridge is finished.