The Sagarika express train, operating from Beliatta to Maradana, experienced its first derailment on the morning of April 24, 2026, near the Wadduwa Railway Station. The incident caused both tracks on the coastal line to be completely blocked, halting all train services in both directions. Reports indicated the train separated into two parts, with several rear carriages derailing, leading to significant damage to both the train and the railway infrastructure.
Following the initial derailment, 15 people, including a pregnant woman, sustained minor injuries and were hospitalized. While office train services continued with passenger transfers at the derailment site, long-distance services on the coastal line were completely halted. Specific restrictions were put in place, limiting trains from Colombo to Panadura and trains from Matara to Kalutara.
Recovery operations and re-railment work commenced swiftly. To manage passenger inconvenience, SLTB buses were deployed to transport train passengers between Panadura and South Kalutara railway station. Sri Lanka Railways also arranged special bus services from Colombo Fort to southern destinations, including Beliatta, Matara, Galle, Ambalangoda, and Hikkaduwa, starting from the afternoon of April 24th. The General Manager of Railways, Ravindra Padminpriya, stated that full restoration of train operations on the affected line was expected within two days, highlighting the damaged train as a significant loss due to the existing shortage of the train fleet.
By 7:00 PM on April 24th, the down line of the coastal railway was cleared for normal train operations, and the normal train schedule on that line was implemented. Additional buses were also deployed to streamline passenger transport between Panadura and Kalutara.
On the morning of April 25th, the Sagarika train was successfully re-railed and moved to the Wadduwa railway station. Most of the damage from the initial derailment had been repaired, though remaining restoration work was still ongoing. An investigation board is to be appointed to look into the incident.
However, the Sagarika train derailed for a second time on April 25th, around 6:20 PM, near the Kompannaweediya (Slave Island) railway station. This second incident occurred while the train, having been re-railed from Wadduwa, was being moved towards Colombo. The new derailment blocked one track of the coastal line between Colombo Fort and Wellawatta, limiting train operations in that section to a single track. Re-railing efforts for this second incident commenced immediately, with expectations that the blocked coastal line track could be reopened on April 25th itself. This second derailment compounded existing disruptions, as coastal line train operations were already continuing on a single track due to ongoing repair work from the original Wadduwa incident.