Ella railway track walking: Tunnel No. 42 safety, passing trains, and legal regulations?
What are the train clearance rules and safety precautions when walking along active tracks between Ella station, Kitalella, and the Nine Arch Bridge?
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3 Answers from travellers
Walking on active railway tracks is technically an offense under the Railway Ordinance of Sri Lanka, though widely practiced by tourists between Ella station and the Nine Arch Bridge (Tunnel No. 39). Broad-gauge diesel locomotives approach quietly on downhill grades. If caught inside a tunnel when a train enters, step immediately into the arched masonry safety refuge niches cut into the tunnel walls every 30 meters. Never wear headphones or walk on the rail steel itself, which becomes slick with morning grease and moisture.
Carry a reliable flashlight when passing through Tunnel No. 39; daylight from the portal does not illuminate uneven ballast stones in the curve center.
Step completely off the track shoulder into the tea bushes when trains pass; passenger carriages have wide steps and open doors with leaning travelers.
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