3 Answers from travellers
12Go and seat61 serve different purposes: (1) 12Go Asia is a BOOKING platform - actually purchase train tickets with foreign card, receive e-tickets, 15-25% booking markup. (2) seat61.com is INFORMATION - route descriptions, class explanations, tips, no booking. (3) railway.gov.lk is official Sri Lanka Railways site - cheapest bookings but clunky UX + payment sometimes fails with foreign cards. For actual booking of Observation Saloon or hot routes: 12Go handles it reliably. For research + planning: seat61. Sri Lankans + long-stay travelers use official site.
For a first-time visitor: use seat61 to plan which class/routes you want, then use 12Go to book. Combined workflow works. Also worth: local travel agent can book for LKR 500-1000 fee, sometimes better than 12Go 25% markup for multiple bookings. Ask your first hotel.
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