The Secretary of Yangon Region Transportation Authority (YRTA) Dr. Maung Aung has said that upgrading of Yangon circular railroad will commence in October.
Speaking at a seminar on sustainable metro systems held at the Sule Shangri La Hotel on July 11, he also said there may be more crowding due to the work and an increase in the use of buses.
The project is initiated by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the renovation cost is Ks.206 million.
“In October, there will be only one railroad operational of the existing two. I think there may be more crowded in buses in the future. In my opinion, elevating the railroad rather than renovation is better. There are between 80,000 to 100,000 commuters using the railway. There are about 2.8 commuters using YRTA.
“After completing this project, about 60,000 commuters can use the railway but we are not satisfy with this result. Like international railway transportation, the railway system must develop and there should be at least 1 million commuters in the railway. If we can’t meet that criteria, we have to rely on buses,” said Dr. Maung Aung.
In Yangon, there are 2.8 million commuters and more than 2 million use buses. In the new Yangon Bus System (YBS) which commenced in January this year, difficulties such as insufficient numbers of buses and new bus routes caused an increased numbers of people to use the railroad.
“The project is due to be complete in 2020. What I hope is to do an elevated route as an expressway for one road but it may cost a lot,” he added.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
