Yangon Circular Railway
{{Short description|Commuter rail network in Yangon, Myanmar}}
{{Infobox public transit
| name = {{rint|rail}} Yangon Circular Railway
{{lang|my|ရန်ကုန် မြို့ပတ် ရထား}}
| image = File:CAF YCR DEMU.jpg
| alt =
| imagesize =
| owner = Myanma Railways
| locale = Yangon
| transit_type = Commuter rail
| stations = 39
| ridership = 100,000-150,000
| annual_ridership = 30 million (2019)
| chief_executive =
| headquarters = Yangon
| website =
| began_operation = 1954
| ended_operation =
| operator = Myanma Railways
| vehicles = 21
| train_length =
| headway = Every 30 minutes
| system_length = {{convert|45.9|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| notrack = 2
| track_gauge = {{RailGauge|1000mm|lk=on}}
| el =
| minimum_radius_of_curvature =
| average_speed = {{convert|20.3|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}
| top_speed =
| osm_id =
| map = {{Yangon Circular Railway map|inline=on}}
| map_name =
| map_state = show
}}
Yangon Circular Railway ({{langx|my|ရန်ကုန် မြို့ပတ် ရထား}} {{IPA|my|jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃ mjo̰baʔ jətʰá|}}) is the local commuter rail network that serves the Yangon metropolitan area. Operated by Myanma Railways, the {{convert|45.9|km|mi|adj=on}} 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.{{cite journal
| url=http://eversion.news-eleven.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=821
| title=Inter-states and regions railroad tracks all heading to Nay Pyi Taw
| journal=BiWeekly Eleven
| date=2010-10-15
| volume=3
| issue=30
| access-date=2010-10-28
| archive-date=2011-07-14
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714173107/http://eversion.news-eleven.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=821
| url-status=dead
{{cite news
| url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/multimedia.php?art_id=10074
| title=The Railway Bazaar
| date=2008-01-30
| author=Yeni
| publisher=The Irrawaddy}}
{{cite web
| url=http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3EST-B2G503.pdf
| title=Third Regional EST Forum: Presentation of Myanmar
| publisher=Ministry of Transport, Myanmar
| location=Singapore
| date=17–19 March 2008
}}
The railway is heavily utilized by lower-income commuters, as it is (along with buses) the cheapest method of transportation in Yangon.
{{cite news
|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/business/586/biz58604.html
|title=Passengers hope privatisation brings better services
|last=Shwe Gaung|first=Juliet|author2=Nay Lin Aung
|date=1 August 2011
|work=Myanmar Times
|access-date=13 September 2013
|url=http://www.pp.u-tokyo.ac.jp/research/prp/documents/GraSPP-P-E-12-001.pdf
|title=Yangon Circular Railway Development Project
|last=Moe Thida
|author2=Zhu Zhui
|author3=Zhou Xiaojing
|author4=Muhammad Halley Yudhistira
|author5=Jeff Volinski
|date=March 2012
|work=raSPP Policy Research Paper E 1-2-001
|publisher=University of Tokyo
|access-date=13 September 2013
|archive-date=25 September 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925222009/http://www.pp.u-tokyo.ac.jp/research/prp/documents/GraSPP-P-E-12-001.pdf
|url-status=dead
}}
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).
{{Cite news |date=2011-01-04 |title="မြို့ ပတ်ရထားလမ်းပိုင်းများနှင့် ပြည်တွင်းလမ်းပိုင်းများတွင် အသုံးပြုနိုင်ရန် ဂျပန်နိုင်ငံထုတ် RBE လူစီးရထားတွဲ ၁၃ တွဲ ရောက်ရှိ" |language=my |trans-title=13 Coaches from Japan Arrived for Yangon Circular Railway |publisher=BiWeekly Eleven |url=http://www.news-eleven.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6561:-rbe-&catid=43:2009-11-10-07-39-09&Itemid=111 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925201535/http://www.news-eleven.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6561:-rbe-&catid=43:2009-11-10-07-39-09&Itemid=111 |archive-date=September 25, 2011}} In the new currency (introduced in 2012) long distance tickets are 200 kyat (~20 US cents).{{Cite web|last=Cass |first=Emily |date=26 October 2016 |title=Riding the Yangon Circle Line Train: A True Myanmar Experience |publisher=Just Globetrotting |url=http://justglobetrotting.com/riding-the-circular-train-in-yangon-myanmar/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325114721/http://justglobetrotting.com/riding-the-circular-train-in-yangon-myanmar/ |archive-date=25 March 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy}}
History
Yangon Circular Railway was built in the 1930s by the British.{{cite book|last=Codrington|first=Stephen|title=Planet Geography|publisher=Solid Star Press|date=2005|pages=568|isbn=9780957981935}} The line was double track
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}}).{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/business/586/biz58603.html|title=Rail privatisation drive continues|last=Win Ko Ko Latt|author2=Su Hlaing Tun |date=1 August 2011|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=13 September 2013}} Ticket prices have been kept low because of ministry subsidies.{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/business/585/biz58505.html|title=Yangon's rail network to be privatised|date=25 July 2011|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=13 September 2013}}
In December 2012, Japan International Cooperation Agency began its collaboration with Yangon City Development Committee to develop a master plan for the Greater Yangon region, including the issue of public transport.
{{cite news
|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/special-features/162-wheels-2013/5814-waiting-for-the-train-upgrading-the-yangon-circle-line.html?start=1
|title=Waiting for the train: upgrading the Yangon circle line
|last=Mudditt|first=Jessica
|date=25 March 2013
|work=Myanmar Times
|access-date=13 September 2013
}} In 2015 air conditioned coaches were introduced with a slightly higher ticket cost,{{Cite news|title=5th RBE train launched with air-conditioned coaches |date=5 July 2015 |publisher=The Global New Light of Myanmar |url=http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/5th-rbe-train-launched-with-air-conditioned-coaches/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219175559/http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/5th-rbe-train-launched-with-air-conditioned-coaches/ |archive-date=19 December 2017 |url-status=usurped |df=dmy}}{{Cite web|last=Thiha |first=Aye |date=19 November 2015 |title=As Changes Come to Myanmar, Train Upgrade Is Just the Ticket |publisher=Consult-Myanmar Co. Ltd. |url=https://consult-myanmar.com/tag/air-conditioned-trains/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219174819/https://consult-myanmar.com/tag/air-conditioned-trains/ |archive-date=19 December 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Myanma Railways holds second public consultation meeting on upgrading Yangon circular rail line |date=23 September 2014 |publisher=Ministry of Information, Government of Myanmar |url=http://www.moi.gov.mm/moi:eng/?q=news/24/09/2014/id-1473 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219182239/http://www.moi.gov.mm/moi:eng/?q=news/24/09/2014/id-1473 |archive-date=19 December 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy}} It is to be funded in large part by a $212 million loan from Japan's development agency.
{{Cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/world/asia/yangon-circle-line-train.html?_r=0
|title=A Slow Ride Through (and Around) Yangon
|last=Dean|first=Adam
|date=13 June 2017
|work=New York Times
|access-date=14 June 2017
}} The hope 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 the full loop from 170 to 110 minutes.{{Cite web|last=2020-12-08T16:24:00|title=Myanma Railways orders two train fleets|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/traction-and-rolling-stock/myanma-railways-orders-two-train-fleets/57980.article|access-date=2020-12-11|website=Railway Gazette International|language=en}}
In February 2024, the first CAF built train was delivered to Myanmar, and subsequently begun testing.{{Cite web |title=Spain made carriages to be employed on Yangon circular railway |url=https://www.moi.gov.mm/moi:eng/news/13008 |website=The Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Information}}
Route and stations
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 the west and Okkalapa in the east.
The major stations are as follows:{{cite web | url=http://www.minamitours.com/yangon_circular.htm | title=Yangon Circular Railways Schedule | publisher=Minami Tours | access-date=2009-01-18 | archive-date=2008-07-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723225823/http://www.minamitours.com/yangon_circular.htm | url-status=dead }}
Rolling stock
- KiHa 40 series
- KiHa 11
- KiHa 38 (RBE 25101 - RBE 25105)
- CAF DEMU
Gallery
File:Yangon Central railway station 12.jpg|Yangon Central railway station
File:Yangon Central.jpg|Yangon Central ticket booth for Circular Railway tickets
File:Yangon Circular Railway Map.jpg|Map on platform, March 2017
File:The Yangon Circular Railway (15049786666).jpg|Inside a Yangon circular train
File:Aungsan Myot Station.jpg|The station before Danyingon Market station
File:YANGON_CIRCULAR_RAILWAY_YANGON_MYANMAR_JAN_2013_(8528287964).jpg|Train, Jan 2013
File:Hawker.jpg|Circular Railway hawker
File:Yangon Circular Railway.png|Map
File:Yangon Circular Railway and Suburban Rail.png|Map with suburban services
File:Yangon Circular Railway Map in Train.JPG|Map in train
File:Yangon Circular Railway Timetable 2014-12-01 small.jpg|Circle Train Times, 2014
File:Train_in_yangon_Circular_Railway.jpg|Train on Yangon Circle
File:YangonTrainFan.webm|A multi-directional ceiling fan in Yangon circle train.
See also
- {{portal-inline|Myanmar}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Myanmar Transport}}
{{Yangon Circular Railway}}
{{Urban Rail Transit in ASEAN}}
{{Rail transport in Myanmar}}
{{coord missing|Myanmar}}