Delays to be expected on the circle line

Delays to be expected on the circle line

By Tim MclaughLin   |   Monday, 17 June 2013

An overhaul of the Yangon circle train line may not be completed for at least five years because of a lack of funding, Minister for Rail Transport U Zayar Aung has told The Myanmar Times.

A derailed city circle train lies on its side near Hledan station in Yangon on September 1, 2011. (Kaung Htet/The Myanmar Times)

An upgrade and expansion of the circle train line and its five branches, which cover 148 kilometres, is a central element of the new Yangon 2040 city plan. Drafted by Yangon City Development Committee, it aims to increase rail patronage from just 3 percent of all journeys to 30pc over the next three decades.

In the shorter term, an upgrade of the 45.9km circle route is considered essential for alleviating worsening traffic congestion.

The railway could also help to ferry workers to industrial zones outside of the city, creating what UN-HABITAT adviser Michael Slingsby describes as a "beads on a necklace" effect, with factories lining the track.

But U Zayar Aung said that there was little interest in funding work on the line.

"Who will fund this project? Only Japan and [South] Korea have shown interest in upgrading the track together with other [sources of] funds. The problem is securing funding," he said.

The type of loans granted to move the project forward – for example, whether they are commercial or development loans – would also play an important role in how and when it is completed, he said.

A paper complied by the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Public Policy in March 2012 estimated the cost at around US$10 million a kilometre, or more than $400 million for the entire circle route, excluding branch lines.

U Zayar Aung said that part of the cost of a large-scale upgrade could be covered by developing some of the land that surrounds the track but additional funding would be needed.

The circle line upgrade remains the ministry's second priority, behind the Yangon-Mandalay line, which U Zayar Aung described as "the artery" of Myanmar and the country's "lifeline".

Minor improvements have been made over the past year to the Yangon circle line, including the replacement of wood sleepers with precast concrete and upgrades to rolling stock. The upgrades were designed to increase the speed on the train but have largely failed to have an impact because of the numerous railroad crossings along the track.

U Zayar Aung agreed the measures had proven ineffective but said the ministry plans to rework crossings on the line.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/06/29/delays-to-be-expected-on-the-circle-line/