Official railway site vs 12go - which one actually takes a foreign card?
Want reserved seats Nanu Oya to Ella on 26 Aug. Official seatreservation.railway.gov.lk wants an account, foreign card keeps failing. 12go wants a markup. What is the 2026 move?
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4 Answers from travellers
Official reserved seats: seatreservation.railway.gov.lk, account required, opens 30 days ahead, can book until about 2 hours before on trains they list. Timetable is on eservices.railway.gov.lk/schedule. Foreign cards fail often. Station counter with passport is plan B.
12go.asia / Bookaway took my Visa when the official site ate the payment. Markup often USD 2-5. I treated it as insurance. Screenshot coach and seat.
Older Kandy-Ella fare talk is like LKR 150-250 3rd unreserved, 300-500 2nd, 1,000-2,500 1st. Pay what the reservation screen shows on the truncated route, those blog numbers drift.
Scam Watch: ella
People outside stations offer to "help" buy tickets but charge large markups. They may buy cheap third-class tickets and sell as more expensive classes.
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