Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-03-27

Establishment of the 'National Railway Museum of Sri Lanka' at the historical site of the Colombo Terminus Station at Maradana

Several attempts have been made to establish a railway museum of international standards in Sri Lanka to attract the general public, the students and the railway enthusiasts. However, due to inadequate resources and proper methodologies, the two(02) railway museums which have been established presently in Maradana and Kadugannawa do not function properly. Therefore, it has been planned to establish a railway museum by rehabilitating the buildings of the Colombo Terminus Station and the buildings close by, in Maradana under a new railway museum project.

It has been found that more than hundreds of small and large railway related artifacts with historical value are available in proper condition for exhibition and by attracting local and foreign tourists to the new museum, the Department of Railways can also earn a considerable amount of revenue. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, to establish 'Sri Lanka National Railway Museum', was approved by the Cabinet