Myanmar’s ageing railways see a surge in passengers as soaring fuel prices and vehicle restrictions push commuters towards cheaper, more reliable rail travel.
NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar’s ageing railway stations are bustling with life, crowded with passengers as surging fuel prices drive commuters to choose trains over costly planes and cars.
On a journey from Yangon to Naypyidaw, carriages were full of travellers napping and sharing food. First class train tickets cost 19,000 kyats (USD 4.50), while the cheapest bus fares for the route now start at 35,000 kyats.
The train chugged past a queue of trucks waiting for fuel. The trains themselves run on diesel, with the state railway company maintaining its own stocks.
People dozed on station benches or sat on luggage on platforms as they waited. Rail travel is not traditionally the most popular mode of transport in the country, and much of the network was built under British colonial rule.
But people from rural areas have long relied on affordable railways to journey between cities. “The costs are high if we use a car,” said passenger Zeya Ko Ko, 28.
“Buses are also challenging as fuel can run out in some areas due to the fuel crisis.” Since the US-Israel war against Iran began nearly a month ago, global fuel prices have soared.
In Myanmar, prices at the petrol pump have jumped and the junta has instituted fuel-saving measures. These include alternate day bans on private vehicles, based on odd- or even-numbered licence plates.
Long queues of cars and motorbikes have formed at petrol stations around the country. “We have difficulty travelling for urgent health problems,” said Pearl Hmway, a 53-year-old restaurant owner.
A Naypyidaw station official said more people were using trains because of fuel shortages, and extra services had been laid on. “The government increased the number of scheduled trains because of higher demand,” he said.
Passengers said train tickets were selling out quickly, making booking them online harder. At Naypyidaw station, 26-year-old monk Zanaka said he was taking a train for the first time in his life.
Bus fares had risen alongside fuel prices, making his journey twice as expensive by road as by rail. “That’s why we are taking the train on the way back,” he explained.
“The train is faster and there’s no need to wait in a queue.”
