By Nyein Nyein
THE Yangon Circular Railway will revise train schedules from 8 February on account of upgrade work on railroads between the Paywetseikkone and Pazundaung stations, said officials during a press conference held yesterday at the Yangon Central Railway Station guest house. The changes in timetable will not apply to rush hour periods. Commuters will be notified of the new train timetable through posters and pamphlets. “The train schedule will change from 8 February. Passengers will be notified through railway stations.
Pamphlets will be distributed to passengers,” said U Zaw Lwin, traffic manager for the No.7 division of MR. Eight trains will provide Yangon circular service under the revised schedule, with four trains each assigned for upstream and downstream services. During rush hour, 12 trains will arrive at the Yangon Central Railway Station in the morning, while 14 trains will leave for the respective road sections from the station. There are seven stations between Paywetseikkone and Pazundaung railroads in eastern Yangon, spanning 8.5 miles. The upgrade is slated to finish in July. The upgrade project has been divided into two parts.
The Shwetaung Company is conducting the upgrade on the eastern part of the Yangon railway, while the A1 Company is working on the western part. The western part from Insein to Kyimyindine railway stations, spanning 5.5 miles, and the eastern part from Danyingon to Paywetseikkone, spanning 7.25 miles, are being upgraded simultaneously. “After upgrading the Yangon Circular Railway, the Myanma Railways (MR) will be able to offer its services to triple the current number of passengers. And, the upgrade will help reduce travel time on the entire Yangon circular rail network by an hour,” said U Zaw Lwin.
“At present, the Yangon circular rail is providing transportation services to 85,000 commuters. It takes 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete the whole route, spanning 29.5 miles,” he added. The capacity of the circular railway has been decreasing over the last 20 years. Once the upgrade is finished, the MR will ensure 100 per cent on-time running services to daily commuters.
(Translated by Ei Myat Mon)
