Spain DEMU carriages will run on Yangon-Mandalay railway section
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Htet Nadi/Thet Paing(NP News)
A Myanma Railways official from the Ministry of Transport and Communications told The Statesman that the Yangon-Mandalay railway is planning to use Spanish-made train carriages.
14 Of the 15 Spanish-made YM-2 carriages ordered for the Yangon–Mandalay railway line have already arrived, according to Myanma Railways. The agency said it has accepted 13 carriages so far, while the remaining one is still undergoing a quality inspection.
“The 14 train cars ordered from Spain have arrived. However, we have not received any instructions on when we will start operating them. We will only be able to start running them once we receive instructions. Currently, we are using DEMU train carriages from Japan,” said a Myanma Railways official.
Construction of the new Yangon-Mandalay section started on June 3, 2019, as part of the JICA project, and the Yangon-Taungoo section was completed on November 30, 2024. Once the sections were repaired, DEMU carriages were ordered to run on these sections.
On the Yangon–Mandalay railway line, the No. 1 up and No. 2 down postal trains run on alternate days, while the No. 11 up and No. 12 down express trains operate daily. Additionally, the No. 7 up and No. 8 down trains run between Yangon and Naypyidaw, connecting onward to Mandalay, with the No. 27 up and No. 28 down trains also operating daily.
Under the direction of the Head of State, Myanma Railways has replaced the conventional train coaches with dual-unit electric multiple unit trains (DEMUs), which previously operated with conventional carriages.
JICA is providing written and practical training on the operation and maintenance of DEMU train carriages to locomotive drivers and maintenance teams from the Department of Industry. –