The Mihintale line is approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) in length and there are no stations between the termini.
[2] In 1990 President Ranasinghe Premadasa first proposed to construct a railway line from Anuradhapura to Mihintale, in order to accommodate the growing demands of Buddhist pilgrims travelling to the sacred sites at Mihintale.
[3] The responsibility for the project was given to the Minister of Transport Wijayapala Mendis and the General Manager of Sri Lanka Railway, W. A. C. K.
[3] The line terminates at the Mihintale railway station, which has a single platform with a siding.
Trains only operate on this line during the Poson period (early June), to cater for the high demand by Buddhist pilgrims travelling between holy sites in Anuradhapura and Mihintale at this time.