Yangon Central railway station

Yangon Central railway station (Burmese: ရန်ကုန် ဘူတာကြီး [jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃ bùdàdʑí]), also known as Yangon Central Station, is the largest railway station in Myanmar. It is located within downtown Yangon, and serves as the gateway to Myanmar Railways' 3,126 mi (5,031 km) rail network^[2] whose reach covers Upper Myanmar (Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Shwebo), upcountry (Myitkyina), Shan hills (Taunggyi, Kalaw), and the Taninthayi coast (Mawlamyine, Ye).

Yangon Central ရန်ကုန် ဘူတာကြီး
Yangon Central railway station in July 2011
General information
Location	Mingala Taungnyunt 11222, Yangon, Yangon Division, Myanmar Myanmar
Coordinates	16°46′54″N 96°9′40″E
Operated by	Myanmar Railways
Line(s)	■ Yangon Circular Line Yangon–Mandalay Railway Yangon–Mawlamyine Railway
Platforms	7 (3 island platforms, 1 side platform)
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Status	Staffed
Website	Official website
History
Opened	1877[1]
Rebuilt	1st rebuilding: 1911[1] 2nd rebuilding: 1947 - 5 June 1954[1]
Electrified	No
Services
Preceding station Myanmar Railways Following station Pagoda Road Next counter-clockwise Yangon Circular Railway Pazundaung Next clockwise
Yangon Central railway station Area 5,110 m2 (55,000 sq ft) Architect Hla Thwin Yangon City Landmark Designated 1996
Location Yangon Central Location within Myanmar

The station was first built in 1877 by the British, and was later rebuilt in 1911. However, the station was destroyed by the retreating British in 1943 from advancing Japanese forces. The current station building was designed by U Tin in traditional Burmese architectural style, making prominent use of indigenous tiered roofs called pyatthat, and was completed on 5 June 1954.^[3][1] Yangon Central railway station has been designated a landmark building since 1996.

History

1877–1954

Old Rangoon Central railway station in 1890s

Yangon Central railway station was first built in 1877 by the British to support Burma's first railway line, from Yangon to Pyay. The station was located on the southern side of the railway compound on the upper block of Phayre Street (now Pansodan Street) in the downtown area. The building was designed in the British Victorian style and the access roads were bordered by grassy lawns. The beauty of the property prompted locals to praise the new structure as the Fairy Station.^[3] The station became a favorite target for Japanese bombers during World War II. In 1943 it was destroyed by British forces retreating to India.^[3]

The station was rebuilt following the war according to a design based on Burmese traditional architectural styles, drawn by engineer Hla Thwin. The new structure was 5,110 square metres (55,000 sq ft) in size. To the north were grass lawns, gardens and wide access lanes. The new design was approved by the Railway Authority on 7 May 1946. Construction was started in January 1947 by engineer Sithu U Tin and completed in May 1954 at a total cost of K4.75 million. The opening ceremony of the new Yangon Central railway station was held on 5 June 1954.^[3]

The structure is listed on the Yangon City Heritage List.^[4]

1954–present

Yangon central railway station terminal

In December 2007, the Yangon city government announced a master plan that would have resulted in Yangon Central being relocated to a satellite town, East Dagon, 32 kilometres (20 mi) from downtown Yangon^[2] at an unspecified date; this did not come to fruition.

Railway lines

The following lines pass through or terminate at Yangon Central:

• Yangon Circular Railway
• Yangon–Mandalay Railway
• Yangon–Mawlamyine Railway
• Yangon–Bagan Railway
• Yangon–Aunglan–Bagan Railway
• Yangon–Pyay Railway

Homeless people

It is home of many homeless people who made the railway terminal as their permanent residence.^[4]

References

1. Wei Yan Aung (5 June 2020). "On This Day | The Day Yangon Central Railway Station Opened for Service for the Third Time". The Irrawaddy. The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
2. "Myanmar Yangon Central Railway Station to Move to New Satellite Town". Xinhua News. 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
3. Maung Myat Mon (Sule) (2006-11-20). "Heritage structure still serves railway system". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
4. Taylor Weidman (12 December 2016). "Life at Yangon Central Railway Station". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera Media Network. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

External links

• Official website Archived 2015-06-18 at the Wayback Machine