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{{short description|none}}
:''This article is part of the ] series. {{hatnote|This article is part of the ] series.}}
]
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
] (then Burma) began in 1877. Three private rail companies were nationalised nineteen years later. During the ], Allied prisoners of war were forced to build the ]. Myanmar Railways has expanded its network somewhat since 1988.


==1877–1895==
==Early construction==
Rail transport was first introduced in Burma in May 1877 when ] was a colony of the ] and a part of ] with the opening of the ] to ] line by The Irrawaddy Valley State Railway. This line, 163 miles long, tracing the course of the Irrawaddy river, was built over three years with labor imported from India, particularly from the areas affected by the ]. In 1884, a new company, The Sittang Valley State Railway, opened a 166 mile line along the ] from ] to the town of ] via ]. While the Irrawaddy line was considered to be of commercial importance because it could be used to move rice from the valley to the main port at Rangoon, the Sittang line was of considerable strategic importance because of the proximity of Toungoo to the border with ], then a part of the ] kingdom.<ref name="nisbet">{{Citation | title=Burma Under British Rule - and Before, v1 | last=Nisbet | first =John | publisher = Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd | date = 1901 | place = London}}</ref> This became evident at the start of the ] a year after the opening of the railway and for the unrest that followed the war.<ref name="herbertwhite">{{citation | title=A Civil Servant in Burma | last = White | first = Herbert Thirkell | publisher = E. Arnold | place = London | date = 1913}}</ref> The construction cost for the two lines was £1,926,666 and the railway was profitable by 1888 returning more than 5% on the capital expenditure.<ref name="nisbet">{{page=26}}</ref> Rail transport was introduced in Burma in May 1877 (when ] was a colony of the ] and part of ]) with the opening of the ]-to-] line by the Irrawaddy Valley State Railway. The {{convert|163|mi|adj=on}} line, following the ], was built over a three-year period with labour imported from India (particularly the areas affected by the ]). Unusually for a British colonial railway, it was built to 1,000&nbsp;mm (3&nbsp;ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge. In 1884 the Sittang Valley State Railway, a new company, opened a {{convert|166|mi|adj=on}} line along the ] from Rangoon to ] via ]. The Irrawaddy line was considered commercially important because it could transport rice from the valley to the main port at Rangoon, and the Sittang line was strategically important because of Toungoo's proximity to the border with ] (then part of the ] kingdom).<ref name="nisbet">{{Citation | title=Burma Under British Rule - and Before, v1 | last=Nisbet | first =John | publisher = Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd | year = 1901 | place = London}}</ref>{{page needed|date=December 2017}} This became evident at the start of the ] (a year after Sittang line opened) and during the unrest which followed the war.<ref name="herbertwhite">{{citation | title=A Civil Servant in Burma | last = White | first = Herbert Thirkell | publisher = E. Arnold | place = London | year = 1913}}</ref> The construction of the two lines cost £1,926,666; the railway was profitable by 1888, returning more than five percent on capital investment.<ref name="nisbet"/>{{rp|26}} With the annexation of Upper Burma, the railway was extended by {{convert|220|mi}} from Toungoo to ] (the fallen capital of the Ava kingdom) in 1889. The Mu Valley State Railway was formed after the opening of this section, and construction began on a rail line from ] to ] connecting Mandalay to ] (1891), ] (1893),<ref>Dautremer, Joseph (1913) ''Burma under British Rule'' (translated from Dautremer, Joseph (1912) ''La Birmanie sous le régime britannique: une colonie modèle'' Guilmoto, Paris, {{OCLC|250415892}}) T.F. Unwin, London, page 205, {{OCLC|9493684}}; from the online library eBooksRead.com</ref> ] (1895) and Myitkyina (1898). This railway created a continuous {{convert|724|mi|adj=on}} line from Rangoon to Myitkyina through the ], except for a ferry crossing of the Irrawaddy at ].<ref name="nisbet"/>{{page needed|date=December 2017}} The Inwa Bridge at Sagaing, Burma's only bridge across the Irrawaddy, opened in 1934<ref name="vthompson"/> with two decks: one for road traffic and one for trains.<ref name="kratoska">{{Citation|last=Kratoska|first=Paul|title=South East Asian, Colonial History|year=2001|publisher=Taylor and Francis}}</ref>


==1896–1945==
With the annexation of ], the railway was extended by 220 miles from Toungoo to ], the fallen capital of the ] kingdom with the extended railroad opening in 1889. Following the opening of this section, the Mu Valley State Railway was formed and construction began on a railway line from ] to ] and connected Mandalay to ] in 1891, to ] in 1892, to ] in 1895, and to ] in 1898. With the opening of this railway, a continuous 724 mile railway line ran from Rangoon to Myitkyina through the ] except for a ferry crossing of the Irrawaddy at ].<ref name="nisbet"/> The Inwa Bridge at Sagaing, the only one across the Irrawaddy River in Burma, was opened in 1934,<ref name="vthompson"/> with two decks, one for road traffic and one for rail traffic.<ref name="kratoska">{{Citation|last=Kratoska|first=Paul|title=South East Asian, Colonial History|date=2001|publisher=Taylor and Francis}}</ref> destroyed by the British during their retreat from Burma in the ] and rebuilt in 1954 after Burmese independence.{{Fact|date=November 2008}}
{{see also|Yunnan–Burma railway}}
]
⚫ In 1896, before the completion of the line to Myitkyina, the rail companies were combined into the publicly owned Burma Railway Company.<ref name="ireland">{{Citation| title = The Province of Burma: A report prepared for the University of Chicago | last = Ireland | first = Alleyne | publisher = Houghton Mifflin and Company | year = 1907 | place = Boston and New York}}</ref> Between 1898 and 1905, another {{convert|278|mi}} of railway was built. A {{convert|110|mi|adj=on}} branch line from the Rangoon-Pyay railroad connected ] in the Irrawaddy delta to Rangoon, and the ] ran {{convert|117|mi}} through the Shan Hills (nearly to the border with ]).<ref name="ireland"/> The latter railway included the ], a {{convert|2260|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}}, {{convert|320|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} viaduct across the Gokteik gorge near ]. When it was built, it was the longest such viaduct in the world.<ref>{{Citation|title=Empires, Exceptions, and Anglo-Saxons: Race and Rule between the British and United States Empires, 1880-1910|last=Kramer|first=Paul|journal=The Journal of American History|volume=88|date=March 2002|pages=1315–1353|doi=10.2307/2700600|issue=4|publisher=Organization of American Historians|jstor=2700600}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Turk |first=J.C. |date=August 1901 |title=Building an American Bridge in Burma |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF6tNZnhO7wC&pg=PA1148 |journal=] |volume=II |pages=1148–1167 |access-date=9 July 2009 }} (Includes many construction photos)</ref> The track rises in a continuous 1:40 gradient, and the viaduct (designed by Alexander Rendel & Sons and built by the Pennsylvania Steel Company) was considered an engineering marvel at the time.<ref>{{Citation|title=Railways of the Raj|last1=Satow|first1=Michael|last2=Desmond|first2=Ray|publisher=New York University Press|place=New York and London|year=1980}}</ref> The Mandalay-Lashio railway was planned to extend to ] (on the border) and into China's ] province, but the plan was abandoned because of the difficult terrain.<ref name="vthompson">{{Citation|doi=10.2307/3022599|title=Communications in Burma|last=Thompson|first=Virginia|journal=Far Eastern Survey|volume=11|date=26 January 1942|jstor=3022599|issue=2|pages=29–31|publisher=Institute of Pacific Relations}}</ref> In 1907, a line opened connecting Pegu and ] (the capital of British Burma before the Second Anglo-Burmese War). The line ran to ], on the ] at the mouth of the ], and passengers had to take a ferry to Moulmein.<ref name="vthompson"/> Until the Thanlwin Bridge opened in 2006, it was impossible to travel from Rangoon to Moulmein by rail. The ], an 80-kilometre (50-mile) {{RailGauge|2ft|lk=on}} narrow-gauge line from Namyao (on Myanmar Railways' Mandalay-Lashio branch) via ] to ], was completed in 1908.


After the ], a line was built between Moulmein and ] at the northern end of the ]. Burma's last major rail line, from ] on the Rangoon-Mandalay line to ] (a hill station in the southern ]) was built between 1914 and 1918.<ref name="vthompson"/> In 1928, the Burma Railway Company was dissolved; the railways were brought directly under government operation and renamed Burma Railways. Around this time, they began to lose money because of competition from road transport. With return on capital declining, Burma Railways became the country's single largest debt item when the financial separation of India and Burma took place in 1937. The company's coal and rolling stock were imported from India or Britain.<ref name="kratoska"/>
==The Burma Railway Company==
⚫ 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.<ref name="ireland">{{Citation| title = "The Province of Burma: A report prepared for the University of Chicago" | last = Ireland | first = Alleyne | publisher = Houghton Mifflin and Company | date = 1907 | place = Boston and New York}}</ref> Between 1898 and 1905 another 278 miles of railway was constructed. A 110 branch line from the Rangoon-Pyay railroad connected ] in the Irrawaddy delta to Rangoon and the ] - ]-] railway traversed 117 miles through the Shan Hills almost all the way to the border with ].<ref name="ireland"/> The latter railroad included the Gokteik viaduct, a 2260 feet long, 320 feet high viaduct across the Gokteik gorge near ]. When built, it was the longest such viaduct in the world.<ref>{{Citation|title=Empires, Exceptions, and Anglo-Saxons: Race and Rule between the British and United States Empires, 1880-1910|last=Kramer|first=Paul|journal=The Journal of American History|volume=88|number=4|date=March 2002|pages=1315-1353|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2700600}}</ref> The track rises a continuous 1:40 gradient throughout its length and the viaduct, designed by Alexander Rendel & Sons and constructed by the Pennsylvania Steel Company was considered an engineering marvel at that time.<ref>{{Citation|title=Railways of the Raj|last=Satow|first=Michael|last2=Desmond|first2=Ray|publisher=New York University Press|place=New York and London|date=1980}}</ref> The Mandalay-Lashio railway was to extend to ] on the border, and then on to the ] province in China but the plan was abandoned because of the difficult terrain.<ref name="vthompson">{{Citation|title=Communications in Burma|last=Thompson|first=Virginia|journal=Far Eastern Survey|volume=11|number=2|date=26 January 1942|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/3022599}}</ref>


==={{anchor|The Siam-Burma Railway}}Siam-Burma Railway===
In 1907, a line was opened connecting Pegu and ], the original capital of British Burma (before the ]). The line went up to ] on the ] at the terminus of the ] and passengers had to take a ferry to cross over to Moulmein.<ref name="vthompson"/> (It was not until the Thanlwin Bridge opened in 2006 that it was possible to go from Rangoon to Moulmein by rail.) Sometime after the ], a line was constructed between Moulmein and ] at the northern end of the ]. Meanwhile, the last major rail line constructed in Burma was between 1914 and 1918 when a line was built from ] on the Rangoon-Mandalay line to ], a hill station in the hills of the ].<ref name="vthompson"/>

==The Thailand Burma Railway==
{{main|Burma Railway}} {{main|Burma Railway}}
The British had long planned to construct a railway line connecting India with ] and ] and British companies had surveyed the possibility of building a railway from Rangoon to the Yunan province to link up with a second line from Bangkok to the Yunan province but were unable to find financial backing for the project.<ref name="fisher">{{citation|title=The Thailand-Burma Railway|last=Fisher|first=Charles|journal=Economic Geography|volume=23|number=2|date=April 1947|pages=85-97|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/141316}}</ref> When the Japanese conquered ] and ], they decided to build a railway connecting their South East Asian territories with Burma, partly to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies for the planned invasion of India. Since the Yunan was in the hands of the Chinese under ], they looked for a southern route to Burma from Thailand and settled on a line from ] to ] across the mountains that separate the two countries. Since Thanbyuzayat was on the Moulmein - Ye railway line, and Ban Pong connected to ] via ], the line would provide a direct connection (with a ferry ride from Moulmein to Martaban) between Bangkok and Rangoon. The Japanese built the lines partly using allied POWs and it is estimated that 15,000 allied prisoners of war and 150,000 others lost their lives during the construction of the 245 mile railroad (at about 675 deaths per mile).<ref name="fisher"/> The construction is partly memorialized in the film ]. The British had long planned to construct a railway line connecting India with Siam (now ]) and ]. British companies examined the possibility of building a railway from Rangoon to ] to link with a second line from Bangkok to Yunnan, but were unable to obtain financial backing.<ref name="fisher">{{citation|title=The Thailand-Burma Railway|last=Fisher|first=Charles|journal=Economic Geography|volume=23|date=April 1947|pages=85–97|doi=10.2307/141316|issue=2|publisher=Clark University|jstor=141316}}</ref>
When the Japanese occupied Thailand and Burma, they decided to build a railway connecting their Southeast Asian territories with Burma (partly to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies for their planned invasion of India). Since Yunnan was in Chinese hands under ], they looked for a southern route to Burma from Thailand and settled on a line from ] to ] across the mountains separating the two countries. Since Thanbyuzayat was on the Moulmein-Ye railway line and Ban Pong connected to ] via ], the line would provide a direct connection (with a ferry from Moulmein to Martaban) between Bangkok and Rangoon. The Japanese built the lines with Allied prisoners of war, and an estimated 15,000 POWs and 150,000 others died during the construction of the {{convert|245|mi|adj=on}} railway – about 675 deaths per mile.<ref name="fisher"/> Its construction is depicted in the film, '']''.

=={{anchor|1945-present}}1945 to present==
In 1942, The country had {{convert|3313|km}} of ] track in 1942, but during ] the ] removed about {{convert|480|km}}. By the end of the war, {{convert|1085|km}} were operational in four isolated sections. During the postwar era, the rail network was rebuilt. By 1961 the network was {{convert|3020|km}} long, remaining constant until the opening of a {{convert|36|km|adj=on}} line from Kyaukpadaung to Kyini in October 1970. This began an upsurge in construction and track-doubling, and Myanmar Railways operated 11 divisions over {{convert|5068|km}} of track by 2000. Most routes are single-track, although large portions of the Yangon-Pyay and Yangon-Mandalay routes are double-track.<ref name=dh>{{Citation | url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2004/11/7554/update_from_myanmar.html | title=Update from Myanmar | author=Dieter Hettler | date=1 November 2004 | publisher=Railway Gazette | format=requires subscription}}</ref> The railway had a total length of {{convert|5125|km}} in December 2008, including the Yangon-Mandalay line's double-track section.

===Improvements===
*''1988:'' Thaton-Myaingalay (new 36.3-km line)
*''1989:'' Dabeyin-Hle Lawin (new 34.6-km line)
*''1990:'' Mandalay Circular Railway modernisation (21.8&nbsp;km)
*''1992:'' Shwenyaung-Yauksauk (60.3&nbsp;km) and ]-Myingyan lines (99.8&nbsp;km), including a line to ]
*''1993:'' Three lines:
** Aungban-Loi-kaw (164&nbsp;km), in Kayah State
** Chaung-U-Tawkyaungyi (23.4&nbsp;km), part of the {{convert|406.3|km|0|adj=on}} Chaung-U-Pakokku-Kalaymyo line
** Minywa-Pakokku (54&nbsp;km)
*''1994:'' Two lines:
** Tada-U-Mandalay International Airport (11.8&nbsp;km)
** Pakokku-Myaing-Myozoe (55.7&nbsp;km)
*''1995:'' Three lines:
** Myozoe-Zipyar (44.2&nbsp;km)
** Namsang-Moe-Ne (44.3&nbsp;km), the first section of the eastern extension of the Thazi-Shwenyaung line
** Tavoy-Yephu (17.2&nbsp;km), part of the {{convert|177|km|adj=on}} Mawlamyaing-Ye-Tavoy line
*''1996:'' Four lines:
** Gangaw-Natchaung (110.8&nbsp;km)
** Myitkyina-Nantpaung-Airport (11.7&nbsp;km)
** Taunggyi-Phamon-Banyin (54.3&nbsp;km)
** Pyay-Myade/Aunglan-Satthwa (145.4&nbsp;km), an alternative line to Bagan
*''1997:'' Five lines:
** Shwenyaung-Taunggyi (33.5&nbsp;km)
** Kyaukpadaung-Bagan
** Kaloggyi-Yephu (141.6&nbsp;km), part of the {{convert|177|km|adj=on}} Mawlamyaing-Ye-Dawei line
** Taungdwingyi-Magwe (83.8&nbsp;km)
** Ye-U-Khin-U (25.7&nbsp;km)
*''1998:'' Construction of the 100.8-mile (162.222-km) Ye-Dawei line begins.
*''2003:'' The {{convert|14.8|km|0|adj=on}} Okkphosu-Thilawa-Deep Sea Port line opens. The bridge over the ] on the Ye-Dawei line opens on 26 November.
*''2004:'' The {{convert|1.5|km|0|adj=on}} Hsinbyushin-] section of the Mandalay-to-Pakokku line opens. The Yangon-Mandalay line is modernised and double-tracked.
*''2005:'' The Ye-Dawei line opens.
*''2006:'' The ] and ] open, connecting the line on the southern bank of the ] with the rest of the country. Construction of the 300-mile (483-km) Kyangin-Pakokku line begins.
*''2007:'' The Pyinmana-Myohaung section of the Yangon-Mandalay line is double-tracked in November to serve the country's new capital, ].
*''2008:'' Construction of the 95-mile (153-km) Katha-Bhamo line begins on 1 January. Construction of the {{convert|63|km|adj=on}} Kyangin-Okshippin section of the {{convert|515|km|adj=on}} Kyangin-Pakokku line begins on 1 March, and construction of the 128-mile (205-km) Dawei-Myeik line begins on 6 December. The {{convert|26|km|adj=on}} Pyawbwe-Phayangasu section of the Yangon-Taunggyi line (via Thazi) opens on 1 December.
*''2009:'' The {{convert|211|km|adj=on}} Tavoy (])-], {{convert|375|km|adj=on}} ]-] and {{convert|152|km|adj=on}} Pyawbwe-Natmauk-] lines open.

==See also==
* ]
* '']'' – a documentary about Asian labourers (Indian Tamils, Burmese and Javanese) who worked as slaves on the Burma Railway during World War II


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist|30em}}


==External links==
⚫ {{Asia in topic|History of rail transport in}}
* {{citation |chapter-url=http://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/burmas-metre-gauge.html |chapter=Burma's metre-gauge system |title=Railway Wonders of the World |year=1936 |pages=1329–1331 |editor-first=Clarence |editor-last=Winchester }}, illustrated account of Burma's railways in the 1930s


⚫ {{Asia in topic|History of rail transport in}}
⚫ {{DEFAULTSORT:Burma}}
{{Rail transport in Myanmar}}
⚫ {{DEFAULTSORT:Myanmar}}
] ]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 22:46, 24 October 2024

This article is part of the history of rail transport series.

Rail transport in Myanmar (then Burma) began in 1877. Three private rail companies were nationalised nineteen years later. During the Japanese occupation of Burma, Allied prisoners of war were forced to build the Burma Railway. Myanmar Railways has expanded its network somewhat since 1988.

1877–1895

Rail transport was introduced in Burma in May 1877 (when Lower Burma was a colony of the United Kingdom and part of British India) with the opening of the Rangoon-to-Prome line by the Irrawaddy Valley State Railway. The 163-mile (262 km) line, following the Irrawaddy River, was built over a three-year period with labour imported from India (particularly the areas affected by the Bihar famine of 1873–74). Unusually for a British colonial railway, it was built to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge. In 1884 the Sittang Valley State Railway, a new company, opened a 166-mile (267 km) line along the Sittang River from Rangoon to Toungoo via Pegu. The Irrawaddy line was considered commercially important because it could transport rice from the valley to the main port at Rangoon, and the Sittang line was strategically important because of Toungoo's proximity to the border with Upper Burma (then part of the Ava kingdom). This became evident at the start of the Third Anglo-Burmese War (a year after Sittang line opened) and during the unrest which followed the war. The construction of the two lines cost £1,926,666; the railway was profitable by 1888, returning more than five percent on capital investment. With the annexation of Upper Burma, the railway was extended by 220 miles (350 km) from Toungoo to Mandalay (the fallen capital of the Ava kingdom) in 1889. The Mu Valley State Railway was formed after the opening of this section, and construction began on a rail line from Sagaing to Myitkyina connecting Mandalay to Shwebo (1891), Wuntho (1893), Katha (1895) and Myitkyina (1898). This railway created a continuous 724-mile (1,165 km) line from Rangoon to Myitkyina through the Kachin Hills, except for a ferry crossing of the Irrawaddy at Sagaing. The Inwa Bridge at Sagaing, Burma's only bridge across the Irrawaddy, opened in 1934 with two decks: one for road traffic and one for trains.

1896–1945

See also: Yunnan–Burma railway
See caption
The Burmese rail network in 1900

In 1896, before the completion of the line to Myitkyina, the rail companies were combined into the publicly owned Burma Railway Company. Between 1898 and 1905, another 278 miles (447 km) of railway was built. A 110-mile (180 km) branch line from the Rangoon-Pyay railroad connected Bassein in the Irrawaddy delta to Rangoon, and the Mandalay–Lashio Railway ran 117 miles (188 km) through the Shan Hills (nearly to the border with China). The latter railway included the Gokteik viaduct, a 2,260-foot-long (690 m), 320-foot-high (98 m) viaduct across the Gokteik gorge near Nawnghkio. When it was built, it was the longest such viaduct in the world. The track rises in a continuous 1:40 gradient, and the viaduct (designed by Alexander Rendel & Sons and built by the Pennsylvania Steel Company) was considered an engineering marvel at the time. The Mandalay-Lashio railway was planned to extend to Kunlong (on the border) and into China's Yunnan province, but the plan was abandoned because of the difficult terrain. In 1907, a line opened connecting Pegu and Moulmein (the capital of British Burma before the Second Anglo-Burmese War). The line ran to Martaban, on the Gulf of Martaban at the mouth of the Salween River, and passengers had to take a ferry to Moulmein. Until the Thanlwin Bridge opened in 2006, it was impossible to travel from Rangoon to Moulmein by rail. The Burma Mines Railway, an 80-kilometre (50-mile) 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge line from Namyao (on Myanmar Railways' Mandalay-Lashio branch) via Namtu to Bawdwin, was completed in 1908.

After the First World War, a line was built between Moulmein and Ye at the northern end of the Mergui Archipelago. Burma's last major rail line, from Thazi on the Rangoon-Mandalay line to Kalaw (a hill station in the southern Shan State) was built between 1914 and 1918. In 1928, the Burma Railway Company was dissolved; the railways were brought directly under government operation and renamed Burma Railways. Around this time, they began to lose money because of competition from road transport. With return on capital declining, Burma Railways became the country's single largest debt item when the financial separation of India and Burma took place in 1937. The company's coal and rolling stock were imported from India or Britain.

Siam-Burma Railway

Main article: Burma Railway

The British had long planned to construct a railway line connecting India with Siam (now Thailand) and China. British companies examined the possibility of building a railway from Rangoon to Yunnan to link with a second line from Bangkok to Yunnan, but were unable to obtain financial backing.

When the Japanese occupied Thailand and Burma, they decided to build a railway connecting their Southeast Asian territories with Burma (partly to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies for their planned invasion of India). Since Yunnan was in Chinese hands under Chiang Kai-shek, they looked for a southern route to Burma from Thailand and settled on a line from Ban Pong to Thanbyuzayat across the mountains separating the two countries. Since Thanbyuzayat was on the Moulmein-Ye railway line and Ban Pong connected to Bangkok via Kanchanaburi, the line would provide a direct connection (with a ferry from Moulmein to Martaban) between Bangkok and Rangoon. The Japanese built the lines with Allied prisoners of war, and an estimated 15,000 POWs and 150,000 others died during the construction of the 245-mile (394 km) railway – about 675 deaths per mile. Its construction is depicted in the film, The Bridge on the River Kwai.

1945 to present

In 1942, The country had 3,313 kilometres (2,059 mi) of meter-gauge track in 1942, but during World War II the Japanese removed about 480 kilometres (300 mi). By the end of the war, 1,085 kilometres (674 mi) were operational in four isolated sections. During the postwar era, the rail network was rebuilt. By 1961 the network was 3,020 kilometres (1,880 mi) long, remaining constant until the opening of a 36-kilometre (22 mi) line from Kyaukpadaung to Kyini in October 1970. This began an upsurge in construction and track-doubling, and Myanmar Railways operated 11 divisions over 5,068 kilometres (3,149 mi) of track by 2000. Most routes are single-track, although large portions of the Yangon-Pyay and Yangon-Mandalay routes are double-track. The railway had a total length of 5,125 kilometres (3,185 mi) in December 2008, including the Yangon-Mandalay line's double-track section.

Improvements

  • 1988: Thaton-Myaingalay (new 36.3-km line)
  • 1989: Dabeyin-Hle Lawin (new 34.6-km line)
  • 1990: Mandalay Circular Railway modernisation (21.8 km)
  • 1992: Shwenyaung-Yauksauk (60.3 km) and Tada-U-Myingyan lines (99.8 km), including a line to Mandalay International Airport
  • 1993: Three lines:
    • Aungban-Loi-kaw (164 km), in Kayah State
    • Chaung-U-Tawkyaungyi (23.4 km), part of the 406.3-kilometre (252 mi) Chaung-U-Pakokku-Kalaymyo line
    • Minywa-Pakokku (54 km)
  • 1994: Two lines:
    • Tada-U-Mandalay International Airport (11.8 km)
    • Pakokku-Myaing-Myozoe (55.7 km)
  • 1995: Three lines:
    • Myozoe-Zipyar (44.2 km)
    • Namsang-Moe-Ne (44.3 km), the first section of the eastern extension of the Thazi-Shwenyaung line
    • Tavoy-Yephu (17.2 km), part of the 177-kilometre (110 mi) Mawlamyaing-Ye-Tavoy line
  • 1996: Four lines:
    • Gangaw-Natchaung (110.8 km)
    • Myitkyina-Nantpaung-Airport (11.7 km)
    • Taunggyi-Phamon-Banyin (54.3 km)
    • Pyay-Myade/Aunglan-Satthwa (145.4 km), an alternative line to Bagan
  • 1997: Five lines:
    • Shwenyaung-Taunggyi (33.5 km)
    • Kyaukpadaung-Bagan
    • Kaloggyi-Yephu (141.6 km), part of the 177-kilometre (110 mi) Mawlamyaing-Ye-Dawei line
    • Taungdwingyi-Magwe (83.8 km)
    • Ye-U-Khin-U (25.7 km)
  • 1998: Construction of the 100.8-mile (162.222-km) Ye-Dawei line begins.
  • 2003: The 14.8-kilometre (9 mi) Okkphosu-Thilawa-Deep Sea Port line opens. The bridge over the Ye River on the Ye-Dawei line opens on 26 November.
  • 2004: The 1.5-kilometre (1 mi) Hsinbyushin-Chindwin River section of the Mandalay-to-Pakokku line opens. The Yangon-Mandalay line is modernised and double-tracked.
  • 2005: The Ye-Dawei line opens.
  • 2006: The Thanlwin Bridge and Mawlamyine railway station open, connecting the line on the southern bank of the Salween River with the rest of the country. Construction of the 300-mile (483-km) Kyangin-Pakokku line begins.
  • 2007: The Pyinmana-Myohaung section of the Yangon-Mandalay line is double-tracked in November to serve the country's new capital, Naypyidaw.
  • 2008: Construction of the 95-mile (153-km) Katha-Bhamo line begins on 1 January. Construction of the 63-kilometre (39 mi) Kyangin-Okshippin section of the 515-kilometre (320 mi) Kyangin-Pakokku line begins on 1 March, and construction of the 128-mile (205-km) Dawei-Myeik line begins on 6 December. The 26-kilometre (16 mi) Pyawbwe-Phayangasu section of the Yangon-Taunggyi line (via Thazi) opens on 1 December.
  • 2009: The 211-kilometre (131 mi) Tavoy (Dawei)-Myeik, 375-kilometre (233 mi) Namsan-Kengtung and 152-kilometre (94 mi) Pyawbwe-Natmauk-Magway lines open.

See also

References

  1. ^ Nisbet, John (1901), Burma Under British Rule - and Before, v1, London: Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd
  2. White, Herbert Thirkell (1913), A Civil Servant in Burma, London: E. Arnold
  3. Dautremer, Joseph (1913) Burma under British Rule (translated from Dautremer, Joseph (1912) La Birmanie sous le régime britannique: une colonie modèle Guilmoto, Paris, OCLC 250415892) T.F. Unwin, London, page 205, OCLC 9493684; full text pp. 194-213 from the online library eBooksRead.com
  4. ^ Thompson, Virginia (26 January 1942), "Communications in Burma", Far Eastern Survey, 11 (2), Institute of Pacific Relations: 29–31, doi:10.2307/3022599, JSTOR 3022599
  5. ^ Kratoska, Paul (2001), South East Asian, Colonial History, Taylor and Francis
  6. ^ Ireland, Alleyne (1907), The Province of Burma: A report prepared for the University of Chicago, Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company
  7. Kramer, Paul (March 2002), "Empires, Exceptions, and Anglo-Saxons: Race and Rule between the British and United States Empires, 1880-1910", The Journal of American History, 88 (4), Organization of American Historians: 1315–1353, doi:10.2307/2700600, JSTOR 2700600
  8. Turk, J.C. (August 1901), "Building an American Bridge in Burma", The World's Work: A History of Our Time, II: 1148–1167, retrieved 9 July 2009 (Includes many construction photos)
  9. Satow, Michael; Desmond, Ray (1980), Railways of the Raj, New York and London: New York University Press
  10. ^ Fisher, Charles (April 1947), "The Thailand-Burma Railway", Economic Geography, 23 (2), Clark University: 85–97, doi:10.2307/141316, JSTOR 141316
  11. Dieter Hettler (1 November 2004), Update from Myanmar (requires subscription), Railway Gazette

External links

  • Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "Burma's metre-gauge system", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 1329–1331, illustrated account of Burma's railways in the 1930s
History of rail transport in Asia
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