The Railways Department has revealed that groups involved in an online seat reservation racket continue to exploit the booking system, managing to reserve all available seats within just 30 seconds, down from the previous 42 seconds.
A senior official noted that not only are seats for the Colombo Fort–Badulla route fully booked in record time, but seats for segments like Kandy to Nanuoya on the same train are also sold out immediately.
For trains operating between Colombo Fort and Badulla, 454 seats are available, including observation carriage seats. Specific seat availability is as follows:
- Trains 1005 and 1015: 74 Class 1, 34 Class 2, 58 Class 3 (166 total).
- Train 1045: 52 Class 2, 40 Class 3 (92 total).
- Train 1007: 30 observation carriage seats.
- Train 1023: 32 seats.
Ticket fares for the Colombo-Badulla route are:
- Class 1: Rs. 3,000
- Class 2: Rs. 2,000
- Class 3: Rs. 1,500
- Observation Carriage: Rs. 3,000
The total one-way revenue for Trains 1005 and 1015 amounts to Rs. 377,000.
The Ella Odyssey Train, offering 311 seats, generates a total one-way revenue of Rs. 2,163,000. Ticket fares are:
- Class 1 (AC): Rs. 8,000
- Class 2: Rs. 6,000
- Class 3: Rs. 5,000
Despite these numbers, concerns have arisen over ticket scalping. Reports indicate tickets worth Rs. 2,000 are being resold to foreigners for as much as Rs. 16,000.
Railways General Manager N.J. Indipolage acknowledged the efficiency of the e-ticketing system, highlighting the department’s ability to sell all tickets in under 42 seconds.
However, the ongoing racket continues to undermine the integrity of the system, calling for stricter enforcement measures.
