49-605: Rail transport in Myanmar consists of a 6,207.644 km (3,857 mi) railway network with 960 stations. The network, generally spanning north to south with branch lines to the east and west, is the second largest in Southeast Asia, and includes the Yangon Circular Railway which serves as a commuter railway for Yangon, the principal commercial city in Myanmar. The quality of the railway infrastructure
98-572: A master plan for the Greater Yangon region, including the issue of public transport. In 2015 air conditioned coaches were introduced with a slightly higher ticket cost, but these did not last long, and by mid 2016 air conditioning was no longer available. Myanma Railways has had plans for a major upgrade for the Circle Line since 2012. It is to be funded in large part by a $ 212 million loan from Japan's development agency. The hope
147-411: A British colonial railway, it was built to 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge . Subsequent development was to the same gauge, though the 80 kilometres (50 mi) Burma Mines Railway opened in 1906 operated on a separate 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge. In 1884, a new company, The Sittang Valley State Railway , opened a 267-kilometre (166 mi) line along
196-693: A damning report the following year. In November 2006, the International Labour Organization (ILO) announced it was to seek at the International Criminal Court "to prosecute members of the ruling Myanmar junta for crimes against humanity" over the allegations of forced labour of its citizens by the military. According to the ILO, an estimated 800,000 people are subject to forced labour in Burma. Even before
245-509: A further 88 were on order. Up to 1987 the main suppliers were Alstom , Krupp and various Japanese companies, but since then orders have been placed with China because of Myanmar's lack of access to hard currency. In 2004, Myanma Railway had approximately 40 oil-fired steam locomotives , of which about a dozen were serviceable and saw occasional use on goods, local passenger and tourist trains. Up to three heavy repairs are performed per year using locally manufactured parts. Between 1988 and 2009,
294-597: A ruling council, after dissolving the state organs of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma . In 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The powerful regional military commanders, who were members of SLORC, were promoted to new positions and transferred to the capital of Rangoon (now Yangon ). The new regional military commanders were not included in
343-506: Is (along with buses) the cheapest method of transportation in Yangon. The hours of service have been consistent over the years, from 3:45 am to 10:15 pm daily. In 2011, the cost of a ticket for a distance of 15 miles was two hundred kyats (~eighteen US cents), and that for over 15 miles was four hundred kyats (~37 US cents). In the new currency (introduced in 2012) long distance tickets are 200 kyat (~20 US cents). Yangon Circular Railway
392-405: Is a three car train purchased second hand from Hiroshima, Japan; it is the first 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge , and a third rail was added to the line to accommodate it. There are 960 active railway stations in Myanmar with Yangon Central and Mandalay Central as the twin anchors of the network. Recently, rail service has been extended along
441-645: Is divided into three broad groups of lines, the lines in Upper Myanmar, those in Lower Myanmar, and the Yangon Circular Railway that serves as Yangon's commuter rail. Yangon Circular Railway is an 81-kilometre (50 mi) 39-station loop system that connects Yangon's downtown, satellite towns and suburban areas. Around 150,000 people use the approximately 300 trains that run around the loop daily. The Yangon Urban Mass Rapid Transit
490-867: Is due to begin construction of the east–west line from Hlaing Thayar in the west to Parami in the east in 2022, to be complete by 2027. This line is to be further extended east to Togyaung Galay station on the Yangon-Bago intercity rail line. The following four lines are currently under construction: In 2005, the Japan Railways Group and other, privately owned, Japanese railway companies donated rolling stock to Myanma Railways, including former JNR-era DMUs , railcars and passenger coaches. China donated 130 units of meter gauge carriages in 2006 and another 225 in 2009. In early As of 2011, Myanma Railways operated 389 locomotives and 4,673 railway coaches. In 1999, Myanma Railway had 201 diesel locomotives , and
539-409: Is for all of the coaches and engines to be replaced by 2020, along with automation of the signaling systems and replacement of the aging tracks. The frequency of trains would be increased from the current two per hour. In December, 2020, a contract was awarded to a consortium of Japan's Mitsubishi and Spain's CAF to provide 11 six-car diesel powered trains with the aim of reducing the travel time of
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#1732787993448588-429: Is generally poor. The tracks are in poor condition, and are not passable during the monsoon season. The speed of freight trains is heavily restricted on all existing links as a consequence of poor track and bridge conditions. The maximum speed for freight trains has been quoted as 24 km/h (15 mph), suggesting that commercial speeds on this section could be as low as 12–14 km/h (7.5–8.7 mph). The network
637-518: Is imposed mainly by the military, for portering (that is, carrying of provisions to remote bases, or on military operations), road construction, camp construction and repair, and for a range of other tasks. In March 1997, the European Union withdrew Burma's trade privileges because of the prevalence of forced labour and other abuses. The same year, the ILO established a Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of forced labour, coming up with
686-721: Is run by Myanma Railways ( Burmese : မြန်မာ့ မီးရထား , pronounced [mjəma̰ míjətʰá] ; formerly Burma Railways ), a state-owned railway company under the Ministry of Rail Transportation . In the 2013-14 fiscal year, Myanma Railways carried about 60 million passengers (35 million in the circular railway and 25 million inter-city travelers) and 2.5 million metric tons of freight. Its rolling stock consisted of 384 locomotives, 1,600 passenger railcars, and 3,600 freight wagons. The network has steadily increased in size, from nearly 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi) in 1988 to 6,207.644 kilometres (3,857.251 mi) in 2015. Myanma Railways
735-457: Is the local commuter rail network that serves the Yangon metropolitan area. Operated by Myanma Railways , the 45.9-kilometre (28.5 mi) 39-station loop system connects satellite towns and suburban areas to the city. Circa 2008–2010, the railway had about 200 coaches, had 20 daily runs, and sold 100,000 to 150,000 tickets daily. The railway is heavily utilized by lower-income commuters, as it
784-541: Is undertaking an ambitious expansion program that will add another 3,645 km (2,265 mi) to its network, making it spread in to 13,941 km (8,663 mi) including extensions to Myeik in the south, Kyaingtong in the east, Sittwe in the west. Rail transport was first launched in British Burma on 2 May 1877 with the opening of the 259-kilometre (161 mi) Rangoon (Yangon) to Prome (Pyay) line by The Irrawaddy Valley State Railway . Unusually for
833-623: The 8888 Uprising . On the day it seized power SLORC issued Order No.1/1988 stating that the Armed Forces had taken over power and announced the formation of the SLORC. With Order No. 2/1988, the SLORC abolished all organs of state power that were formed under the 1974 Burmese constitution. The Pyithu Hluttaw (the legislature under the 1974 Constitution), the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet),
882-473: The Irrawaddy Delta . The authorities emptied some public buildings and schools to use as polling stations for the 24 May referendum on a new constitution, despite pleas from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to postpone the referendum and focus their resources on humanitarian relief . The SPDC was alleged to have evicted people from dozens of government-operated tented relief camps in
931-614: The Second World War caused considerable damage to the rail network. In 1942, the country had 3,313 km (2,059 mi) (route-km) of metre gauge track, but the Japanese removed about 480 km (298 mi) and, by the end of the war, only 1,085 km (674 mi) (route-km) was operational in four isolated sections. The Japanese were also responsible for the construction of the Thailand - Burma Railway , also known as
980-812: The Sittaung River from Yangon to the town of Toungoo (Taungoo) via Pegu (Bago). After the annexation of Upper Burma following the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885, the Toungoo line was extended to Mandalay in 1889. Following the opening of this section, the Mu Valley State Railway was formed and construction began on a railway line from Sagaing to Myitkyina which connected Mandalay to Shwebo in 1891, to Wuntho in 1893, to Katha in 1895, and to Myitkyina in 1898. Extensions into southern Myanmar began in 1907 with
1029-580: The State Law and Order Restoration Council (Burmese: နိုင်ငံတော် ငြိမ်ဝပ်ပိပြားမှု တည်ဆောက်ရေးအဖွဲ့ ; abbreviated SLORC or နဝတ ) that had seized power under the rule of Saw Maung in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General and Council Chairman Than Shwe signed a decree that officially dissolved the council. SLORC succeeded the Pyithu Hluttaw as a legislature and the Council of State as
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#17327879934481078-636: The 160 km (99 mi) Ye-Dawei (Tavoy) railway in peninsular Myanmar was completed. With the construction of the 250 m (270 yd) road/rail bridge across the Ye River in 2003 and the 2.4 km (1.5 mi) Thanlwin Bridge in 2008, the Southern peninsula became fully integrated into the Myanmar's railway network. Also in 2008/9, the Ayeyawady Valley route was extended north along
1127-533: The 19 September 1988 issue of The Working People's Daily . The first Chairman of SLORC was General Saw Maung , later Senior General , who was also the Prime Minister. He was removed as both Chairman of SLORC and Prime Minister on 23 April 1992 when General Than Shwe , later Senior General , took over both posts from him. On 15 November 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Most, but not all members of
1176-545: The 1974 Burmese Constitution the Council of Ministers acted as a Cabinet but since the Deputy Ministers were not considered to be formally part of the Council of Ministers, the SLORC made sure that the Deputy Ministers – together with the Ministers' – services in the previous BSPP government from whom it had taken over power were also terminated.) The Orders that SLORC issued on the day of its takeover can be seen in
1225-738: The Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 and Amnesty International . The UN Secretary-General named the SPDC in four consecutive reports for violating international standards prohibiting the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Human Rights Watch reported that since Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, the Burmese authorities expelled hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced persons from schools, monasteries, and public buildings, and encouraged them to return to their destroyed villages in
1274-699: The Council of People's Justices (the Judiciary ), the Council of People's Attorneys (the Attorney-General Office), the Council of People's Inspectors (the Auditor -General Office), as well as the State/Region, Township, Ward/Village People's Councils were abolished. The SLORC also stated that the services of the Deputy Ministers in the previous Burma Socialist Programme Party ( BSPP ) government which it replaced were also terminated. (Under
1323-476: The Death Railway, using the labour of Allied prisoners of war, many of whom died in the attempt. The "Death Railway" link with Thailand fell into disuse after the war and the section of this line in Burma was permanently closed. Attempts at rebuilding the network began in the 1950s following Burmese independence. By 1961 the network extended to 3,020 km (1,877 mi), and then remained constant until
1372-804: The Myanmar Railways. From the Indian side, RITES Ltd., an Indian government enterprise, has been a principal partner of Myanma Railways and was involved in the supply of these 18 locomotives. In 1999 Myanma Railways had 868 coaches, with a further 463 on order. However many branch lines have only lightly built permanent way, and on these routes traffic is in the hands of a fleet of more than 50 light rail-buses built from lorry parts in MR's workshops. These are powered through their rubber-tired road wheels, and usually haul three small four-wheel coaches converted from goods wagons. Small turntables are used to turn
1421-549: The SPDC, the Burmese army engaged in military offensives against ethnic minority populations, committing acts that violated international humanitarian law . It has been alleged that the SPDC forcibly recruited children – some as young as 10 – to serve in its army, the Tatmadaw . It is difficult to estimate the number of child soldiers used to serve in the Burmese army, but there were thousands, according to Human Rights Watch
1470-524: The Taninthayi coast to Mon State and Tanintharyi Region with Mawlamyine station as the southern hub. The railway lines generally run north to south with branches to the east and the west. The 140 km/h Dali–Ruili railway from China reaches the border at Ruili but does not connect to the Myanmar network. Most of the routes are single track although large parts of Yangon-Pyay and Yangon-Mandalay routes are double track . Myanmar's railway network
1519-550: The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Burmese government was urged to ensure the right of "internally displaced persons to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, or to resettle voluntarily in another part of the country." According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), despite the new quasi-civilian government taking power in Burma, forced labour continues to be widespread in Burma. It
Rail transport in Myanmar - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-752: The abolished SLORC, were in the SPDC military regime. Ordered by protocol: Western non-governmental organisations, such as the Burma Campaign UK , the US Campaign for Burma , Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have made a variety of serious accusations against the SPDC. Reports by these organisations as well as the United Nations and the Karen Human Rights Group alleged gross human rights abuses that took place in Burma under their regime, including: One of
1617-650: The construction of the Bago-Mottama line. Passengers had to take a ferry over the Thanlwin River (Salween River) to Mawlamyaing . In 1896, before the completion of the line to Myitkyina, the three companies were combined into the Burma Railway Company as a state owned public undertaking. In 1928, the railway was renamed Burma Railways and, in 1989, with the renaming of the country, it became Myanma Railways. The Japanese invasion during
1666-493: The crackdown. Mass round-ups occurred during the crackdown itself, and the authorities continued to arrest protesters and supporters throughout 2007. Between 3,000 and 4,000 political prisoners were detained, including children and pregnant women, 700 of whom were believed still in detention at year's end. At least 20 were charged and sentenced under anti-terrorism legislation in proceedings which did not meet international fair trial standards. Detainees and defendants were denied
1715-497: The full loop from 170 to 110 minutes. In February 2024, the first CAF built train was delivered to Myanmar, and subsequently begun testing. The loop network consists of 39 stations, linking various parts of Yangon. The entire circular trip takes approximately 3 hours. Map from train is shown to the right, with approximate location of stations. The loop begins from Yangon Central Railway Station to Mingaladon Railway Station near Yangon International Airport , via Insein to
1764-613: The junta handled Cyclone Nargis was also internationally criticised. The council was officially dissolved on 30 March 2011, with the inauguration of the newly elected government , led by its former member and Prime Minister, President Thein Sein . The State Law and Order Restoration Council was formed when the Burmese Armed Forces , commanded by General Saw Maung (later self-promoted to Senior General Saw Maung, died July 1997), seized power on 18 September 1988 crushing
1813-458: The large-scale demonstrations began in August 2007, the authorities arrested many well-known opponents of the government on political grounds, several of whom had only been released from prison several months earlier. Before the 25–29 September crackdown, more arrests of members of the opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) took place, which critics say was a pre-emptive measure before
1862-586: The membership of the SPDC. The SPDC consisted of eleven senior military officers. The members of the junta wielded a great deal more power than the cabinet ministers , who were either more-junior military officers or civilians. The exception was the Defence Ministry portfolio, which was in the hands of junta leader Senior General Than Shwe himself. On 15 September 1993, it established the Union Solidarity and Development Association which
1911-487: The opening of a 36 km (22 mi) line from Kyaukpadaung to Kyini in October 1970. In 1988, there were 487 operational railway stations over a 3,162 km (1,965 mi) long network. Since coming to power in 1988, the military government embarked on a railway construction program and, by 2000 the network had grown to 5,068 km (3,149 mi) (track-km) divided into 11 operating divisions. Between 1994 and 1998,
1960-421: The rail-buses at the termini. There were 5,187 freight wagons in 1999, with 1,188 due to be delivered. The majority of goods trains on lines without significant gradients run without any train brakes, as most of the serviceable wagons have been cannibalised and now lack vacuum hoses . Goods trains up to 600 tonnes are braked by the locomotive only, and operate at a maximum speed of 32 km/h (19.9 mph). If
2009-588: The railway imported 96 diesel locomotives, 55 from China and 41 from India and, by December 2009, it had a total of 319 locomotives. In October 2010, the railway acquired 30 more locomotives from China. In 2014, Myanma Railway acquired a Hokutosei train set from Japan after the withdrawal of the Hokutosei Blue Train Service in preparation of the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen which opened in 2016. The locomotive acquired
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2058-736: The train is particularly heavy the wagons at the front will be fitted with hoses for the duration of the trip. On the steeply-graded ghat sections all wagons will be braked. Apart from the Wartime Siam Burma Death Railway the country has never had any international links. However there are ongoing projects to integrate Myanmar with neighbourhood as part of Look East policy of India and String of Pearls , Belt and Road Initiatives of China such as: The proposed international rail links are: Yangon Circular Railway Yangon Circular Railway ( Burmese : ရန်ကုန် မြို့ပတ် ရထား [jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃ mjo̰baʔ jətʰá] )
2107-483: The vicinity of the former capital Yangon , ordering the residents to return to their homes, regardless of the conditions they face. The forced evictions were part of government efforts to demonstrate that the emergency relief period was over and that the affected population were capable of rebuilding their lives without foreign aid . People who were forced from their homes by Cyclone Nargis are considered to be internally displaced persons under international law. Under
2156-462: The west and Okkalapa in the east. The major stations are as follows: State Peace and Development Council The State Peace and Development Council ( Burmese : နိုင်ငံတော် အေးချမ်းသာယာရေး နှင့် ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေး ကောင်စီ [nàɪɰ̃ŋàɰ̃dɔ̀ ʔédʑáɰ̃θàjajé n̥ḭɰ̃ pʰʊ̰ɰ̃bjó jé kaʊ̀ɰ̃sì] ; abbreviated SPDC or နအဖ , [na̰ʔa̰pʰa̰] ) was the official name of the military government of Burma ( Myanmar ) which, in 1997, succeeded
2205-451: The west bank of the river towards Pakokku in the far north of the country. The 60 km (37 mi) Kyangin-Okshippin (Padang) section of Kyangin-Thayet railway was opened in March 2008 and the 56 km (35 mi) Okshippin-Kamma railway section was opened in March 2009. In 2016 a tram route opened in Yangon , on a former heavy rail freight route through the city streets. Rolling stock
2254-402: The worst atrocities in Burma took place during the uprising of August 1988 , when millions of Burmese marched throughout the country calling for an end to military rule. Soldiers shot hundreds of protesters and killed an estimated 3,000 people in the following weeks. During the August and September demonstrations of 2007 , at least 184 protesters were shot and killed and many were tortured. Under
2303-675: Was built during colonial times by the British . The double track railway was built in 1954. In July 2011, the Ministry of Rail Transportation announced that it intended to privatize the Yangon Circular Railway, since the government-run system operates at a loss for the government, with monthly operating costs about 260 million kyats ( US$ 325,000 ) and monthly revenues about 42 million kyats ( US$ 52,500 ). Ticket prices have been kept low because of ministry subsidies. In December 2012, Japan International Cooperation Agency began its collaboration with Yangon City Development Committee to develop
2352-465: Was replaced by Union Solidarity and Development Party on 29 March 2010 in time for the elections. Although the regime retreated from the totalitarian Burmese Way to Socialism of the BSPP when it took power in 1988, the regime was widely accused of human rights abuses . It rejected the 1990 election results and kept Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest until her release on 13 November 2010. The way
2401-414: Was the former DD51 Diesel Locomotive along with the former Blue Trains that were formerly operated by JR Hokkaido . In March 2018, India handed over 18 diesel-electric locomotives to Myanmar under an Indian line of credit . These 18 locomotives were fitted with the microprocessor control based system. 1350 HP AC/DC main line diesel locomotives with a maximum speed of 100 km/h had been customised for
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