Nay Pyi Taw May 18
Chairman of the State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by SAC members Admiral Tin Aung San, Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, Lt-Gen Soe Htut, Union ministers U Aung Naing Oo, Dr Nyunt Pe, Dr Thet Khaing Win, U Maung Maung Ohn, Chairman of Mandalay Region Administration Council U Maung Ko, Commanderin-Chief (Navy) Admiral Moe Aung, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Commander of Central Command Maj-Gen Ko Ko Oo and officials, inspected passenger coach and wagon factory of Myanma Railways (MR) of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Myitnge, Amarapura, Mandalay Region this morning.
At the meeting hall of the factory, Union Minister for Transport and Communications Admiral Tin Aung San, Managing Director of MR U Ba Myint and General Manager of electrical and mechanical department U Tin Maung Than reported on the brief history of the ministry, functions and duties of MR, assignment of employees at factories and departments, national railway network and extension programs, assembling of passenger coaches and wagons and future programs, repair and maintenance of locomotives, and railway upgrading work with the help of power point.
In response, the Senior General said railway is a much supportive mode of transport for the country.
The 140-year old MR is the second longest serving railway behind India in Southeast Asia and South Asia. So, MR has much experience in its work. Reinforcement and improvement of rail tracks must be prioritized and every single rail line must be measured and checked.
Railroads must be improved as bad tracks can damage the coaches and cause delay in travelling. In doing so, all the specifications must be strictly followed and work must be done with a long-term view. Efforts must be made to increase the speed Chairman of State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing inspects passenger coach and wagon factory of Myanma Railways in Myitnge of the existing trains to reach at least 100 kilometres per hour. The inclusion of a communication network in the rail network will ensure more benefits. Local engineers must be mainly used in fixing and building the locomotives and cars and in repairing the existing tracks and extending the new ones as a means for technical development. Research efforts must be made to seek technologies and domestically manufacture locomotives, passenger coaches and freight wagons. In building railway coaches, preparations are necessary in view of the future to develop electric trains. The State is continuously implementing hydropower and solar power projectsfor the generation of adequate electricity. In running train schedules, timey departures and arrivals of trains and cleanliness in railway areas are constantly necessary for the convenience of passengers, the Senior General said. He then stressed the need for effective use of Myanma Railways-owned land to facilitate railway services.
Afterwards, the Senior General presented foodstuffs for the factory staff to the manager. The Senior General and party viewed the assembling of railway coaches in the shed and were conducted round by officials.
Then, the Senior General and party rode in a special coach of Myanma Railways from Myitnge railway station in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region, to Ywahtaung railway station in Sagaing, Sagaing Region.
The passenger coach and freight wagon factory (Myitnge) was established in 1905 and assembling coaches started in 1947.
The factory carries out major repair and maintenance of locomotives, passenger coaches and freight wagons. It has started manufacturing airbag bogie coaches since 2018.
