DUE to a powerful earthquake that occurred on 28 March, two major airports — Nay Pyi Taw International Airport and Mandalay International Airport, roads, railway sections, and the Sagaing Bridge (Inwa) on the old Mandalay-Sagaing road section suffered collapse and damages, and the transportation and communication services were affected to a certain extent.
On the 386-mile-long Yangon-Mandalay railway, a major railway section, damages occurred at 60 rail tracks and 11 railway bridges. Moreover, due to the impact of the earthquake, railway tracks were twisted and damaged in the yards of Pyinmana, Pyawbwe and Thazi railway stations, and in some sections of the railway. Moreover, the control office building for train operations was damaged, and the station buildings of Thazi and Nyaunglunt railway stations collapsed. Therefore, the train services were temporarily suspended. Myanma Railways conducted maintenance works in a timely manner, and the Yangon-Bago-Toungoo-Nay Pyi Taw railway section will be reopened on 5 April, while efforts are made to reopen Nay Pyi Taw-Thazi route on 4 April and Thazi-Mandalay route on 5 April.
In the aviation sector, the control tower and aviation communication system infrastructure at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport collapsed and some parts of the passenger lounge were also affected. Therefore, the flight operations were temporarily suspended, and urgent repair and restoration efforts are currently underway.
As the runway remains undamaged, rescue flights were allowed to resume operations starting from 29 May. Moreover, efforts are underway for the earliest resumption of domestic flights by 5 April. Similarly, minor damage occurred on the runway of Mandalay International Airport, and repair and maintenance work were carried out immediately. As of 2 April, a 10,000-foot section of the runway was restored, allowing rescue flights. Efforts are made to ensure the earliest possible resumption of domestic flights by 4 April.
In the waterway transport sector, the six arch bridge beams of Sagaing Bridge (Inwa) on the old Mandalay-Sagaing road
