Chaos erupted at Nanu Oya railway station when foreign tourists, including Italians, French, Germans, and Indians, were barred from boarding Sri Lanka’s luxury Odyssey train over missing passport numbers on tickets. The dispute left travellers frustrated, seats empty, and police intervening to restore order.
Foreign tourists were left stranded and frustrated on August 11 after being denied boarding on the Odyssey train, which operates daily from Kandy to Badulla, due to missing passport numbers on their tickets.
A large group of Italian, French, German, and Indian travellers, who had each paid Rs. 6,000 or more for their journey from Kandy to Nanu Oya and onwards to Ella, were stopped by train conductors who refused entry to their reserved compartments. The dispute stemmed from a new directive issued on July 30 by General Manager of Railways (Commercial) W.D. Ranjith Padmalal, aimed at curbing ticket rackets run by certain tour companies, guides, and brokers. These operators had reportedly used Sri Lankan national identity card numbers to book tickets online for the Odyssey train and resold them to foreign tourists at inflated prices.
Tour guides explained that prior to the new policy, tickets were freely purchased for foreign travellers at higher prices. However, under the updated regulations, railway controllers now verify both the ticket details and passport numbers of foreign passengers to ensure authenticity.
Some stranded tourists, unable to board the Odyssey, were forced to purchase regular second-class tickets for Rs. 300 from Nanu Oya to Ella on the Kandyan Menike train. Station masters along the Kandyan railway line confirmed that either a national identity card number or airline ticket number must be provided at the time of reservation, and tickets are checked against passenger identification.
Tensions rose when Odyssey train conductors refused to allow certain tourists to board despite empty seats between Nanu Oya and Badulla. The situation escalated, prompting Nanu Oya railway officials to summon local police to manage the unrest at the station.
