The old railway bridge, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

The narrow gauge Kelani Valley railway started from Colombo Fort and terminated at Opanayake. It passed through the lush rubber and tea growing Kelani Valley region. The picture shows the abandoned railway bridge, at Rathnapura.Old railway lines form excellent bicycle tracts because of the gentle gradients. In Sri Lanka when the rail track from Avissawella to Opanayake was closed in stages, there was a massive land-grab of the property along the railway line, to dig for gems and to put up houses. Quite a lot of houses are now built illegally on this stretch.