Railway observation saloon: Then and now

By Dr B. J. C. Perera
Specialist Consultant Paediatrician

In the early 1970s, just about fifty years ago, as a young man in mid-twenties, I used to travel regularly in the wood-panelled observation saloons of our trains. The trips were from Colombo to Bandarawela, to see my fiancée, who later became my wife in April 1975. As much as I was looking forward eagerly to seeing my beautiful future partner in life, I looked forward excitedly to the journey itself.

The voyage was one of absolute upmarket class. It started from the Colombo Fort Railway Station, where one was taken into the observation saloon by extremely courteous staff and ushered into a very comfortable seat around 08.00 hours and then the journey started bang on time. It was a semi-express trip with a limited number of stops on the way. The cabin of the compartment was spotlessly clean with freshly changed curtains to keep away the sun if one was just inclined to do so. The staff were liveried stewards in spotless attire who were at your service. At the commencement of the trip, the tickets were checked by a most polite Ticket Inspector, all full of smiles, accompanied by the equally well-mannered Railway Guard of the train.

Then one could order breakfast, either Sri Lankan or Western, the latter being made up of freshly prepared bacon, sausages, eggs, toast, fruits and freshly brewed coffee or tea. The meal was served on a spotlessly clean and serviette-covered folding table, attached to the seat in front or to the seat itself if one was in the front seat of the compartment. It was a tremendous start for a memorable journey and the meal was very reasonably priced at around fifteen rupees. One had to pay for all refreshments in Sri Lankan currency. Following breakfast, one was allowed to be by oneself and left in peace to enjoy the beautiful scenery of our lovely motherland.

As the Observation Saloon was the last compartment, it swung a little in places but comfort was assured as the suspension of the carriage was very well maintained. The passengers were a well-behaved set of locals with just a few foreign tourists. All of them, locals and foreigners included, were quite friendly, inclined to engage in cordial banter and all of them caused no disturbance at all. Quite often there were many empty seats but one was expected to occupy one’s own allocated seat. If one was fortunate enough to have a neighbour in the next seat, one could conduct a meaningful and genial conversation with him or her. If it was a tourist, one could explain in English a lot of things that were around in the breath-taking landscape and carry on a very friendly chat with the person who was always most grateful for the opportunity extended. One could order a soft drink or an iced fruit juice at any time and it was brought to the table promptly and at a very reasonable price as well.

Around 11.00 hours one of the stewards would come and gently inquire as to whether one would like a local beer. No one was allowed to consume any outside liquor that one brought in. I believe that the price of a bottle of local beer was about two rupees and twenty cents. Around 12.00 hours one could order a home-cooked lunch, a wonderful meal consisting of all Sri Lankan items. One could order the lunch with fish, a choice of meats, eggs or just the vegetables. The prices were variable according to the selected proteins that were ordered but were hardly ever, or in fact even never, over twenty-five rupees. The tourists too were quite thrilled with the meal presented. Incidentally, the convertible rate of a UK Sterling Pound at that time was around 25 Sri Lankan Rupees.

Then the passengers were left to themselves. We could watch the superb landscape that was gradually unfolding, have a quiet nap or engage in bonhomie and carmaradrie with the neighbour. In point of fact, hardly anybody snoozed as the magnificent scenery of the hill country that the train was going through was of such picturesque grandeur as sights to behold, even if one was a regular traveller like me. Around 15.30 hours, the Stewards would offer afternoon tea with a piece of cake.

One needs to mention that the washrooms at the end of the compartment were impeccably clean and fabulously maintained. The facilities were used very carefully by the passengers and cleanliness was scrupulously maintained. Even if there was an unavoidable but unintended indiscretion due to the unexpected movements of the compartment, prompt cleaning was instituted by the Stewards. The toilets were inspected by the staff following each and every time they were used.

There was a Head-Steward who supervised the services provided and made sure that everything in the Observation Saloon was tickety-boo and just fine for the comfort of the passengers. All in all, the entire journey was a wonderful experience and one that a person could look forward to, even if one had done it many a time. Around 17.00 hours I disembarked from the train at Bandarawela into the eager arms of my beloved. A few days later, the return journey was exactly the same. A totally delightful experience, all in all.

Now then…, fast forward 50 years to the present time, for another identical trip on the 29^th of January 2023. Five of us from my extended family made the same trip, two of them being here on holiday from the USA. It was a Colombo-Bandarawela-Colombo journey.

It really was a disaster of monumental proportions. We had arranged to board from Ragama Railway Station and were taken into an unbelievably dirty compartment by an extremely rude Railway Guard. The compartment was replete with broken fittings including the tray tables and meshed container holders fixed to the seats in front. The Railway Guard was hell-bent on getting the people in at Ragama Railway Station as fast as possible and get the train off at any cost. Most of the windows were broken or stuck and could not be moved, the tray tables had probably never been washed and cleaned, with layers and layers of dirt on the table itself, on which we were supposed to keep food. The washroom was dirty, unkempt and had probably not been cleaned for donkey’s years. There was only one toilet for around 50 people who were travelling. There were no uniformed attendants and in fact no railway staff to attend to anything at all in the compartment. There was no food, no drink, or anything for that matter. We were left to our own devices. A little while later after the train started to move, an equally rude Ticket Inspector came in to check our tickets and promptly disappeared after a few minutes. The poorly maintained suspension and springs made the journey look more like a horse ride than a railway journey. Ordinary vendors came into the carriage to sell all kinds of food items and make a fast buck. My very first impression was that of a wildly disastrous change from 50 years ago!

At least things were quiet inside. Quite a lot of the seats were empty. However, it was not for long. When we reached Polgahawela, all hell broke loose. The carriage was ‘invaded’ by a swarm of the members of an extended family of about 25 people with children of all ages as well. All of them perched on seats, some blocked the aisle and the cacophony of sound emanating from their mouths was totally disturbing. They were not talking to each other but yelling at the top of their voices. The intensity of the noise level was incredible. To make matters worse, this included women as well, shouting at the top of their voices. We later gathered that they were some newly rich lot from Kurunegala, going to Ella and the children were going on a train for the first time. Everybody in that crowd behaved as if they owned the railways. Each time we went through a tunnel, the children hooted ever so loudly, with imminent harm to the eardrums of all around. There was one‘Nade Gura who shouted the loudest when even talking to someone close by.

It was totally uncivilised behaviour. Then they opened a few bottles of arrack and started drinking at the back of the carriage and the decibel level of the noise went up higher and higher with each drink. There was no supervision by the railway staff at all; none were there even to be seen. It was such a relief to get out of that hell-hole of an Observation Saloon at Bandarawela, perhaps back to civilisation. The return journey on the February 3, 2023 was virtually the same. From Bandarawela we boarded and after a few stations, yet another large extended family entered. They too were noisy but not to the same extent as those on the first train. At least the children sang a few lovely Sinhala songs, including Menike mage hithe . In fact, they sang very well and it was quite soothing. The carriage was even worse that the one we were in when we went up, with even more broken equipment and loads of dirt. When quite a few people alighted at different stations, various ticketless travellers brazenly walked in and occupied the seats. There were no railway officials to maintain any sort of law and order. We disembarked at Ragama, thanking our lucky stars for just being able to survive through a severely disturbing, unnerving and daunting experience.

The first train going up was 40 minutes late and the one going down to Colombo was 75 minutes late. The acronym SLR which should be for Sri Lanka Railway should really be for Surely Late Railway. The deterioration of the service was totally unbelievable. Nobody seems to care. There is no supervision at all. There does not seem to be any pride in the workers while trying to make even a small effort to provide a decent service. Oh…, how I yearn for the 1970s.

All I can say is that the Minister, General Manager of Railways and all other supervisory grade officers of the SLR, should stop warming their seats with their fat posteriors, get right out of their air-conditioned offices and do some inspection toursn, preferably incognito, to come to grips with the problems of their commuters. It seems to me that they too do not care and it would be like asking for the absolutely impossible.

However, it looks like wishful thinking and asking for the moon perhaps!