Myanmar Train

There are as many opinions of Myanmar's oft-maligned Myanmar train service as there are Myanmar people riding it. For some a Myanmar train ride on narrow-gauged tracks is like going by horse, with the old carriages rocking back and forth and bouncing everyone lucky enough to have a seat on the hard chairs. Other dig it, as some routes get to areas not reached by road, one local said, "it's not as bad as some people say, not as good as you hope". What's known for sure is that Myanmar train transport trips along the same routes as buses mean extra travel time.

As most Myanmar trains are run by the government, many travelers stick with private Myanmar buses. But see below for details of some privately run services. The Myanmar railways aren't much better, since there are from the time of British rule (and Myanmar government owned and run). There are about 2,000 miles of track, but they don't connect with Myanmar railways outside of Myanmar, only with major cities within Myanmar country.

Long-distance Myanmar trains have dining cars accessible to passengers in 1st, upper and sleeper class. The food isn't bad fried rice and noodles. Attendants can also take your order and bring food to your seat on Myanmar trains. Myanmar trains stop pretty often too, with vendors on plat-forms offering all sorts of snacks. Toilet/bathrooms on Myanmar train are basic; there are also sinks to wash hands and brush teeth. Attendants sometimes hire out bamboo mats to spread on the floor in aisles or under seats if you can't sleep upright on the Myanmar train transport. North of Mandalay it can get cold at night, so bring a jacket and or a blanket when you travel with Myanmar train transport.

To guarantee a seat on most trains with upper and sleeper cars, book three days or more in advance at Myanmar trains stations. At smaller Myanmar train stations agents may get confused by the fact that you want a ticket from them and sell you a ride at the Myanmar local price the difference can be paying K 250 instead of K 4000!

Major Myanmar trains routes tend to require payment in US dollars or Fec.

Although most Myanmar trains are operated by the government-owned Myanmar Railways, a few Myanmar private enterprises have come into existence as well. Between Yangon and Mandalay, the private Myanmar Dagon Mann (DM) runs express trains that are more pleasant than the state-run express Myanmar trains. These express Myanmar trains stop at Thazi.

Two Myanmar private companies, Malihka Mandalar and Mehka Mandalar, operate Myanmar trains along the Mandalay-Myitkyina line. On this route the only alternative is the very slow and uncomfortable Myanmar government train for information on reserving a seat on a privately run Myanmar train.

Myanmar maintains 4684km of 1m-gauge railway track much of which is now open to foreign tourists and 550 train stations.

The 647km long trip from Yangon to Mandalay is the only train trip most Myanmar visitor take though there are plenty of other routes for the more adventurous. Other Myanmar train journeys worth considering are the Mandalay(or Pyin U Lwin) train to Lashio or Hsipaw, which takes in hilly terrain the roads miss, and the Yangon to Mawlamyine route in Myanmar.

On the Yangon to Mandalay route there are daily and nightly reserved carriages on express Myanmar trains, where you can be sure of getting a seat. One way to tell whether an approaching train is express or local is to check the engine colour: express engines are generally painted yellow: local ones blue.

The express Myanmar trains are far superior to the general run of Myanmar trains. Other Myanmar trains are late, almost by rule talking one 12 hous Myanmar train transport trip that ends up running as much as 15 hours late is enough for most travelers. The Mandalay To Myitkyina route, though scheduled to take around 24 hours, often takes up to 40 hours. In 1995, this Myanmar train derailed, killing 120 people, and in 2001 a bridge collapsed, killing an equal number, Even on the far more traveled Yangon-Mandalay route, delays are common in Myanmar train transport.

Apart from the straightforward Yangon-Bago-Pyinmana-Thazi-Mandalay route, you can also take the branch line from Pyinmana to Kyukpadaung (about 50km south of Bagan)or the branch from Thazi to Shwen-yaung (about 11km north of Inley Lake). From Yangon lines also run north-west to Pyay, with a branch to Pathein, from Bago there's a branch southeast to Kyaiktiyo (the jumping-off point for the Golden Rock)and on to Mottawa, a short ferry ride from Manwlamyine.

An Myanmar express line now runs between Bagan/Nyaung U and Mandalay (though this was built with forced labour in the mid-1990s).At Mandalay there are three branch lines: Ava bridge and up to though this was built with forced labour in the mid-1990s. At Mandalay there are three branch lines:Ava bridge and up to Ye-U, one directly north to Myitkyina in Kachin State and one northeast through Pyin U lwin to Lashio in the northern part of Shan State in Myanmar.

Note also that Myanmar trains are classified by a number and the suffix up for northbound trains or Down for southbound Myanmar trains. Myanmar Train numbers are not always used when purchasing tickets.

Myanmar express trains offer two class of passage, upper class and ordinary class, while many Myanmar trains also offer sleepers. The main differences between ordinary and upper is that the seats on Myanmar trains recline and can be reserved in the latter, while ordinary class features hard upright seats that can't be reserved. Some Myanmar trains also offer another class of service called 1st class, which is a step down from upper in comfort. The No 15 Up/No 16 Down train between Yangon and Mandalay is a special express that uses relatively new Chinese equipment. The upper-class Chinese cars contain 30 wide seats in rows of three; other express trains may use older South Korean cars that also seat three cross but contain 40 seats (so there's less room.) in Myanmar.

The No 15 Up/No 16 Down and the No 17 Up/No 18 Down trains also have sleeping cars. These are sometimes occupied by Myanmar VIPs or foreign tour groups. Some sleeping cars contain five cabins, each with four Berths, a fan, a light and a small table with a washbasin underneath. Older sleeping Myanmar cars are divided into two sections, each with four berths and a toilet and shower room. Foreigners aren't permitted to ride in ordinary class on the Yangon to Mandalay line in Myanmar.

Following are sample Myanmar train transport fares and scheduled time as quoted in Yangon.

For bookings on the Myanmar private Yangon-Mandalay or Mandalay-Myitkyina Train Services, hook up with Myanmar travel agents. For Myanmar government-run services along the Yangon-Mandaylay line, all foreigners are supposed to purchase tickets from the MTT or from the Advance Myanmar booking Office(Bogyoke Aung San Rd; 6-10 Am and 1-4 Pm), directly opposite of the Sakura Tower in Yangon. MTT sets aside seats for foreigners, which means that they often have seats when the Myanmar booking office or Myanmar trains station window says that the train is full. Contrary to rumour, we found the Myanmar trains fares to be exactly the same at both places, though prices differ according to which express train you take, even along the same line. A day's notice is usually enough to book a seat with Myanmar train trasnport.

If you want to try your luck at getting a coveted sleeper, you'll need at least a couple of days' notice longer during the high season(November to March), when berths are booked weeks in advance. If you hold a seat on a train pulling a sleeper car, you can try to upgrade to a berth after you board. If any berths are available due to last minute cancellations, you should be able to move from seat to berth by paying the additional fare directly to the conductor with Myanmar train transport station.

To buy Myanmar trains tickets at other Myanmar train stations you can use the same ticket windows as the Myanmar locals. For common tourist destinations Bago, Pyin U lwin, Kyaiktiyo a US dollar/FEC fare is usually collected. Going to other points via none express Myanmar trains, you may be able to pay in kyat but consider yourself lucky if you can.

If you're having trouble buying a Myanmar trains ticket or making yourself understood at a Myanmar train transport station, try seeking out the stationmaster the person at the Myanmar trains transport station who is the most likely to speak English and most inclined to help you get a seat in Myanmar.