Sri Lanka Railways S11

Sri Lanka Railways Class S11 is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU) train, built for Sri Lanka Railways by Integral Coach Factory[3] and imported through RITES Ltd, an Indian state infrastructure corporation on a line of credit extended by the Indian Government.[1] They were built to replace locomotive-hauled passenger trains. Twenty S11 DMUs were ordered to strengthen long-distance travel on the Coastal Line from Colombo to Matara.[2]

Sri Lanka Railways Class S11
S11 DMU No. 901
Second Class Cabin
In serviceSince March 2011[1]
ManufacturerIntegral Coach Factory
DesignerBHEL
AssemblyChennai, India
Family name1400Hp DEMU of Indian Railways
Constructed2011—2012[1]
Number built20
Formation6 cars per trainset(1DPC + 4 TC + 1 DTC (DPC-Driving power coach, TC- trailer Coach, DTC- Driving trailer coach))[2]
CapacityDPC-31(third Class), 3x TC - 90x3 (third class), TC- 72 (second class), DTC -56 (Second Class)[2]
Operator(s)Sri Lanka Railways[1]
Specifications
Car body constructionManufactured In Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) & Stainless steel
Car lengthDPC & DTC -
21,462 mm (70 ft 5 in)
Doors2 pairs of Hinged Doors on both ends
1 pair 2-leaf manual sliding doors in the middle
Maximum speed100 km/h (62 mph)[2]
Weight100 t (98 long tons; 110 short tons)
(20 t (20 long tons; 22 short tons) for DPC,
16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons) for TCs & DTC)
Prime mover(s)Cummins KTA 50L
Engine typeV16 4 stroke diesel, turbocharged
Power output1,360 hp (1,010 kW)
TransmissionDiesel-electric AC/DC
BogiesICF Bogies
Braking system(s)Air
Coupling systemSchaku Semi Permanent Couplers between wagons & Automatic couplers (dual) on both ends
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
SeatingSecond Class, Third Class
Stock typeDiesel Multiple Unit

History

Conception

The railway decided to add the DMUs to its service as part of its Coastal line's upgrade project, where track was upgraded to improve speed.[2] The DMUs were built by Integral Coach Factory,[3] to replace locomotive-hauled passenger trains.[4]

Inauguration into service

The trains were inaugurated into the railway service on 11 March 2011, with a ceremony at Matara Railway Station.[5] According to a press release from the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, twenty DMUs are being supplied to Sri Lanka Railways in phases till March 2012.[1]

One of the DMUs faced technical problems on the Galle – Matara section. During the journey, the train came to an abrupt halt due to an electrical short-circuit and resumed its journey after 20 minutes when the fault was set right.[3] The Sri Lankan Railway suspended further import of the DMUs.[6] In April 2011, the suspension was revoked, after a team from RITES inspected them and declared that the faults were due to an electrical failure caused by tinkering and the DMU running with more coaches than it was designed for.[3][7]

Alawwa Crash
Alawwa Train Accident
  • 2011 Alawwa rail accident – On 17 September 2011, near Alawwa, two trains (a locomotive-hauled train and an S11 DMU No. 899) collided, killing 3 people and injuring 20. The S11 ran into the rear observation car of the train ahead.[8]

Pothuhera Crash

On 31 May 2014 a north bound Deyata Kirula intercity express train hauled by S11 - 902 and the Colombo bound Rajarata Rejini train hauled by Class M2 - 570 collided together in the Pothuhera railway station near Kurunegala injuring 68 people and causing serious damages to the both trains and the track.[9] This has been considered as the most damage valued accident for Sri Lanka Railways

Operations

The S11 DMUs are primarily operated on the Coastal line, connecting Colombo, Galle, and Matara.[2] The sets are used on the Ruhunu Kumari,[10] Vavniya ICE and several other suburban trains. Apart from the single instance of a 20-minute failure on the Galle – Matara section, there has been no other failure of the DMUs. Other than on Coastal Line, one DMU is running express on Puttalam Line where it only stops at Negombo and 7 other stations up to Chilaw after Dematagoda.

Current fleet details
Class Operator No. in service Year Built Cars per Set Unit numbers.
Class S11 Sri Lanka Railways 20 2011 - 2012 6[2] 894 - 913
  • S11 departing Kollupitiya Station
    S11 departing Kollupitiya Station
  • S11 No. 900
    S11 No. 900
  • A S11 at Galle station
    A S11 at Galle station
  • Seats
    Seats
  • Interior ceiling and baggage racks
    Interior ceiling and baggage racks
  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • Second-class cabin
    Second-class cabin
  • Predecessor of Class S11 - Class S10 DMU
    Predecessor of Class S11 - Class S10 DMU
  • Successor of Class S11 - Class S12 DMU
    Successor of Class S11 - Class S12 DMU

See also

References
  1. "ColomboPage". India hands over new power sets for Sri Lanka's Southern Railway Line. 2011-03-11.
  2. "Daily News". Smooth ride from Colombo to Matara. 2011-03-11.
  3. Radhakrishnan, R. K. (March 31, 2011). "Sri Lanka revokes suspension on Indian locomotives and rolling stock". The Hindu. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  4. "Dailynews". Power sets to steam long distance travel. 2010-09-03. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08.
  5. "Maiden trip". Daily Mirror. March 11, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  6. "Daily Mirror". Indian power sets suspended. 2011-03-14.
  7. "ColomboPage". Sri Lanka revokes suspension of Indian power sets. 2011-04-01.
  8. "Daily Mirror". Power sets are of high quality: Railway Dept. 2011-09-28.
  9. "68 injured in train accident". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  10. "Daily Mirror". Ruhunu Kumari breaks down. 2011-03-12.
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