The Arakan State Administration Council will resume train service along the Pyidawtha-Yaychanpyin rail route on March 24, an official from Myanmar Railways’ Sittwe branch told DMG on condition of anonymity.
An 80-passenger locomotive will be assigned to the route, the unnamed official added.
“Preparations are underway for the opening of the Pyidawtha-Yaychanpyin rail route,” the railway official said.
Arakan State’s transport minister, Police Colonel Thet Lwin, said: “The Sittwe-Yaychanpyin section of the railroad will be reopened in the coming days. Train ticket prices are likely to remain the same.”
The Arakan State military council’s transport minister told DMG that the union government is currently conducting repair works on the railroad section and is working to facilitate public transport.
Some Sittwe residents have criticised the move, however, saying resumption of the train service along the affected railway section does not benefit the public because Yaychanpyin is not a major trading hub. What’s more, hundreds of people have been evicted from their homes along the tracks in recent weeks, with authorities citing the planned resumption of train services.
Some railway stations in Arakan State were frequently closed over recent years due to regional conflict, cyclone events and their aftermath, and other infrastructure challenges. Myanmar Railways suspended the Sittwe-Yechanpyin rail service in 2019.
