Is the Train Running?
Where Ella's railway stands after Cyclone Ditwah — the suspended Kandy line, the service that is back, and the Nine Arches Bridge crossings.
The Nine Arches Bridge and the scenic train are why most people come to Ella, so the most common question is simply: is the train running? The short answer in mid-2026 is partly. The full Kandy–Ella line is still down after Cyclone Ditwah; a shorter service through Ella is back, and as of June 2026 it reaches a little further up the hills. Here is where each part stands.
Kandy–Ella–Badulla main line (the scenic route)
PausedSuspended since late November 2025 after Cyclone Ditwah. Restoration was framed as 'at least 18 months'; as of April 2026, 92 of 97 damaged sites were repaired and the line to Kandy is expected to reopen by the end of 2026.
This is the famous upcountry leg through Hatton, Nanu Oya and Ella that travellers usually ride from Kandy. The through service is not running. Landslides and washouts after the cyclone closed the line, and repairs to the Kandy side are still under way through 2026.
If you were planning to reach Ella by train from Kandy, that is not currently possible — people are arriving by road instead and joining the train lower down. There has been real progress: in late April 2026 the Deputy Transport Minister said 92 of 97 major damaged sites on the Colombo–Badulla line had been repaired and that trains should reach Kandy by the end of the year. Treat any single reopening date as provisional; the timeline has shifted more than once since the cyclone.