Old, dilapidated, worn-out train station. Busy and chaotic. Not nearly as cared for as the small stations in rural areas which are beautifully decorated with planter boxes, some with koi ponds. Here’s a tip….as of Nov 2023, a tuk-tuk to the Zest Metropole or Fairway in the old fort area should cost two hundred rupees.

It took me around 45 mins to get to the station from CMB airport. I booked the ticket in advance, The staff and conductors of the station were friendly and helpful, the train moved exactly at the time stated in the ticket but it arrived at the destination around 1 hour late than that was it supposed to. I took the Colombo Fort-Habarana train. The train is a great way to enjoy the green beautiful sceneries of Sri Lanka, tickets are cheap but booking through 3rd part website makes it like x3 times more expensive. Train is not really suitable If you have an oversized luggage, It will be hard moving through corridors. And Don’t expect luxury trains.

This train station is located near the Pettah Market where I could walk from. Traffic was terrible and crossing the street is another story so I decided to ride a tuktuk. There are windows here where I was able to buy my round trip train tickets for Kandy. It has some shops to buy snacks, public toilets and few benches to sit down while waiting for the train. Lots of locals use it for their daily commutes. Interesting to watch passengers boarding and getting off the trains here. There are staff to ask here about the correct tracks and train cars to board.

This is an old-style railway station with nine platforms. There are separate toilets (accessible by key) for foreigners. The male 'general' public toilets weren't spotless, but they were far from the worst I've seen in Asia. The station can be very busy as hordes of commuters use it. Long distance trips such as to Badulla or (shorter) Kandy are extremely scenic. Fares are cheap, and some trains have openable windows that are preferable to air conditioned carriages. There are some shops, and provided one takes the usual precautions with smartphones and wallets/purses/bags, the station area is safe. Staff are helpful though the level of English proficiency varies.