Fonds LK-NA/63 - Ceylon Government Railway

The Ceylon Railway Company was formed and provisionally registered in England in 1845. The actual operations began in Ceylon in 1857. In July 1861 the Ceylon Railway Company was dissolved and a Board of Commissioner was appointed to carry out the work in 1862. Finally, the Ceylon Government Railway was established in 1865.
Sir Henry Ward, Governor of Ceylon (1855-1860) projected the first railway in Ceylon. Governor Sir.Hercules Robinson (1865-1872) continued Sir Henry Ward's Railway policy. He commenced the Garnpola Branch and Governor Sir William Gregory (1872-1877) went ahead with the bridging of all rivers and completed the railway line to Gampola and Matale. He further commenced the extension to Kalutara and the first section upto Panadura was completed during his time. Governor Sir Arthur Gordon (1883- 1890) advocated railway extensions from Panadura to Bentota and Gampola to Haputale. Governor Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock (1890-) 896) was responsible for the railway extensions to Kurunegala and Bandarawela. In 1896 there was 297 miles of in the Island a regime witnessed a remarkable development in the Island's rail roads. Within a period of two years had almost doubled the mileage. He introduced narrow gauge lines to the prosperous districts of Uda Pusscllawa and the Kelani Valley. He advocated extensions to Jaffna, Mannar, Puttalam and Badulla. Sir Henry Blake (1903-1907) negotiated the construction of the Negombo Branch Railway. Sir Henry Mccallum (1907-1913) completed the Mannar Line and established the Indo-Ceylon connection by an overland route. He extended the Kelani Valley narrow gauge line to Ratnapura and the main line form Moratuwa to Rambukkana. Sir William Henry Manning extended the railway line to Puttalam and the light railway to Banicaloa and Trincomalee