Kandy to Ella and the Nine Arch Bridge: Sri Lanka’s hill-country railway, the back story

About Kandy to Ella and the Nine Arch Bridge: Sri Lanka’s hill-country railway, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Sri Lanka Editorial Team

Regional Editor, South Asia: Tara de la Motte

Few journeys anywhere are as lovely as the hill-country railway. The train from Kandy climbs slowly into the tea country, past waterfalls and misty ridges, to Ella and the Nine Arch Bridge, a stone viaduct across a jungle ravine.

The hill-country line

The Main Line of Sri Lanka Railways runs from Colombo up into the central highlands to Badulla. Built in the British era to carry tea and coffee down to the port, it is now the island’s most loved journey. The stretch from Kandy to Ella takes six to seven hours by the timetable, climbing through tea estates where pickers work the slopes, past Nanu Oya for Nuwara Eliya, across the high grasslands near Horton Plains and down into the valleys around Ella.

The Nine Arch Bridge

Between Ella and Demodara, the line crosses a deep green ravine on the Nine Arch Bridge, about 91 metres long, built of stone, brick and cement and completed around 1919–1921. A much-loved local story says it was built without steel because the steel meant for it was taken for the First World War; the story is told everywhere, but we have not found a record to confirm it. Nearby, at Demodara, the line loops around a hill and passes under itself.

Lean from the open door as the train curves across the Nine Arch Bridge, and the whole valley seems to hold its breath.

Riding the train

Reserved seats in the observation saloon and the first and second classes sell out quickly, especially in the high season; book through Sri Lanka Railways as soon as booking opens. Unreserved third class is cheap and lively, but crowded at weekends and holidays.

Our advice: travel in the morning, when the light on the tea country is softest, and break the journey for a night in Nuwara Eliya or Haputale. In Ella, walk to the Nine Arch Bridge early, before the crowds, and check the train times locally if you want to see one cross: they can run late, and the wait among the tea bushes is part of the pleasure.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Kandy to Ella and the Nine Arch Bridge: Sri Lanka’s hill-country railway, the back story before you go.