COLOMBO - Thousands of commuters were left stranded in Sri Lanka on Thursday as railway unions launched an indefinite strike urging the government to fulfill their demands.

The unexpected strike was launched late on Wednesday evening, at a peak rush hour, leading to the cancellation of all trains throughout the island.

A tense situation erupted at the Fort Railway Station in capital Colombo on Wednesday when passengers were informed that trains had been cancelled.

The angry passengers launched a protest of their own against the railway unions, resulting in special police teams being deployed to calm the situation.

The Railway Unions launched the strike alleging that a group of junior train drivers, who were still under training, had been appointed by breaching the normal recruitment procedures.

The unions urged the government to look into the matter and revise the recruitment procedure of trainee.

Thousands of commuters who arrived at the railway stations on Thursday morning were left stranded.

Groups were seen get onto special buses. Special luxury buses had also been parked outside the stations to transport passengers to the north and south.

The strike caused severe traffic jams in Colombo and its outskirts as additional buses were deployed by the Transport Ministry.