Yangon circular railway plans more coaches for local commuters

Myanma Railways (MR) will expand its service for the Yangon circular railway, with more schedules and more coaches added depending on the increasing number of commuters. At present, four-coach trains are running around Yangon metropolitan area, MR stated.
RBE four-coach trains (up and down) are daily running 22 rounds for Yangon-Hlawga (eight rounds), Yangon-Mingaladon (4), Yangon-Ywathagyi (4) and Yangon-Insein (6) plies. The daily commuters are estimated at 1,500.
MR will increase coaches and add more schedules upon the number of passengers. MR reduced the number of coaches amidst the railway upgrading project and travel restrictions set by the Ministry of Health and the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19 and the number of commuters also simultaneously dropped during the spike in infections.
Prior to the upgrading project on the Yangon circular railway in February 2018, the Yangon circular railway ran 220 plies per day by 25 trains. Train commuters totalled approximately 80,000-90,000 passengers.
When the Yangon circular railway upgrading project commenced, the number of trains decreased to 21 with 168 rounds. It commuted about 50,000 passengers at the time of project start.
During the COVID-19 period, MR scaled down the number of coaches from six to three owing to the unprecedented decrease in passengers. — Ko Naing (Bago)/GNLM