UNDER the guidance of the Act­ing President, Myanma Railways of the Ministry of Transport and Communications is undertaking measures to ensure ease of trav­el for passengers and cost-effec­tive transport of goods. These include operating battery elec­tric locomotives on the Yangon Circular Railway, introducing special parcel trains on the Yan­gon-Mandalay and Yangon-Maw­lamyine routes to prioritize the transport of food supplies, and increasing the number of par­cel coaches on passenger trains running along the Yangon-Pyay and Thazi-Shwenyaung-Taung­gyi routes.

On the Yangon Circular Railway, a train set consisting of four ordinary-class coaches and one brake van, hauled by a BEL locomotive (C Class), has been in operation since 25 March. To further improve convenience for commuters in Yangon, another similar train set (B Class) will be added to four ordinary-class coaches and one break van and will be operated starting from 4 April.

On the Yangon-Mandalay route, Special Parcel Trains 35 Up and 36 Down will operate with 10 parcel coaches and one break van, and they will stop at Bago, DaikU, Nyaunglebin, Kyaukda­ga, Penwegon, Pyu, Toungoo, Myohla, Pyinmana, Nay Pyi Taw, Tatkon, Yamethin, Pyawbwe, Thazi, Thaedaw, Myittha and Kyaukse railway stations. Each trip will carry up to 151,700 viss (243 tonnes) of goods, and the service will begin on a round-trip basis starting 4 April.

Similarly, on the Yan­gon-Mawlamyine route, Spe­cial Parcel Trains 85 Up and 86 Down will operate with nine par­cel coaches and one break van, and they will stop at Bago, Waw, Theinzayet, Kyaikto, Taungzun, Hninpale, Thaton and Paung railway stations. Each trip will carry up to 128,200 viss (206 tonnes) of goods, and the service will begin on a round-trip basis starting on 4 April.

Moreover, starting 3 April, mail trains 63 Up and 64 Down running on the Yangon-Pyay route carried 30,600 viss of goods per trip with three parcel coach­es, and the mail trains 141 Up and 142 Down running on the Thazi-Shwenyaung-Taunggyi route carried 25,200 viss of goods with two parcel coaches.

These measures are being implemented in line with the Acting President’s guidance to prevent rising commodity prices due to high transportation costs, to encourage greater use of rail transport as a public service, to enable faster and more efficient movement of goods in larger quantities, to reduce transport costs, and to decrease fuel con­sumption. — MNA/KTZH