Jaffna Railway Station

Jaffna யாழ்ப்பாணம் යාපනය
Sri Lankan Railway Station
Jaffna Station during reconstruction in 2014
Location	Jaffna Sri Lanka
Coordinates	9°39′54.60″N 80°01′14.40″E / 9.6651667°N 80.0206667°E / 9.6651667; 80.0206667Coordinates: 9°39′54.60″N 80°01′14.40″E / 9.6651667°N 80.0206667°E / 9.6651667; 80.0206667
Owned by	Sri Lanka Railways
Line(s)	Northern Line
Platforms	Three
Construction
Parking	Yes
Other information
Status	Functioning
History
Opened	1902
Closed	1990
Rebuilt	13 October 2014
Electrified	No
Services
Punkankulam toward Colombo Fort   Yarl Devi Northern Line   Kokkuvil toward Kankesanthurai

Jaffna railway station (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் புகையிரத நிலையம்) is a railway station in the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway operator, the station is one of the busiest in the country, linking the north with the capital Colombo.

The popular Yarl Devi service, which operates on the Northern Line, calls at this station. In the late 1980s the station suffered heavy damage due to the civil war. All railway services on the Northern Line north of Vavuniya had stopped by 1990. The station was abandoned, suffering further damage in the following years. The civil war ended in 2009 and the government started various projects to rebuild the line and stations. The Northern Line between Pallai and Jaffna was re-opened on 13 October 2014.

In the late 19th century residents in northern British Ceylon started campaigning for the construction of a railway line linking the north to the south. The Jaffna Railway Commission report, published in 1891, recommended the construction of a new railway line (now known as the Northern Line) from Polgahawela to Kurunegala and a survey of a line to Jaffna. The line would join the Main Line at Polgahawela Junction, allowing trains to run to the capital Colombo. Approval was given in 1892 and the new line to Kurunegala opened on 14 February 1894. Approval was given in December 1897 for the construction of the Northern Railway and an announcement was made in the Legislative Council in October 1899 that authorisation had been given for the construction of a railway line connecting the north with Colombo.Tenders for the construction of railway line from Kurunegala to Kankesanthurai were called in January 1900 and construction of the new line started at Kurunegala in April 1900. Construction of the 21 miles (34 km) Kankesanthurai-Chavakacheri section, including Jaffna, began in July 1900. This section was officially opened by Governor Sir J. W. Ridgeway on 11 March 1902. The 14 miles (23 km) Chavakacheri-Pallai section was opened on 5 September 1902. The Northern Railway line up to Anuradhapura was opened on 1 November 1904 and the construction of the line up to Medawachchiya was completed on 11 March 1905.