Great Western Railway Station | |
|---|---|
| Railway Station | |
 Great Western railway station (2014) | |
| General information | |
| Location | Talawakelle Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 6°57′21″N 80°41′15″E / 6.95583°N 80.68750°E |
| Owned by | Sri Lanka Railways |
| Operated by | Sri Lanka Railways |
| Line(s) | Main Line |
| Distance | 199.3 km (123.8 mi) (from Fort) |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Tracks | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Functioning |
| Station code | GWN |
| History | |
| Opened | 1890 |
| Electrified | No[1] |
Great Western railway station is the 61st railway station on the Main Line (which runs between Colombo and Badulla), and is 199.3 km (123.8 mi) away from Colombo.[2]
It is located at the Great Western estate of Nuwara Eliya District and is situated 1,455.5 m (4,775 ft) above sea level. This railway station lies between the Watagoda and Radella railway stations. The station has two platforms with a second track as a siding loop. All the trains that run on the Main Line, including the Podi Menike and Udarata Menike express trains stop at the station.
The railway station was constructed to service the Great Western Estate, a 628 ha (1,550 acres) tea plantation in the foothills of the Great Western Mountain. The estate was originally established by J. A. Rossiter in 1866.[3][4] In 1883 the estate was predominately a coffee plantation owned and operated by Dent Brothers & Co.[5] In 1893 following the construction of the railway station the ownership of the estate was transferred to the Great Western Tea Company of Ceyon, Ltd.[6]
- ^ "Daily News". IESL proposes railway electrification project. 25 December 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012.
- ^ "Rail Road Distance in Sri Lanka". 15 October 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Fernando, Maxwell (11 November 2022). "How tea took root in Ceylon". The Daily News. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Fernando, Maxwell (2000). The Story of Ceylon Tea. Mlesna. p. 58. ISBN 9789558479001.
- ^ Pridmore, F. (1962). Asian territories: Volume 2 of The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the End of the Reign of George VI, 1952. p. 90.
- ^ Ferguson, John (1898). Limited Companies in Ceylon for Tea and Other Plantations: (in Rupee Currency) with Full Particulars. A.M. & J. Ferguson. p. 45.