Myanmar Railways
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Rail network in 2008
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| Locale | Myanmar |
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| Dates of operation | 1896–present |
| Predecessor | Irrawaddy Valley State Railway, Sittang Valley State Railway, Mu Valley State Railway |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in), Metre gauge |
| Length | 5,403 km (3,357 mi) (2010) |
| Headquarters | Yangon |
| Website | myanmarailways1877 |
Myanma Railways (MR) (Burmese: မြန်မာ့ မီးရထား, pronounced: [mjəma̰ míjətʰá]; also spelled Myanmar Railways; formerly Burma Railways) is the state-owned agency that operates the railway network in Myanmar. The 5,403-kilometre (3,357 mi) metre gauge rail network consists of 858 stations, and generally spans north to south with branch lines to east and west. MR also operates the Yangon Circular Railway line, Yangon's commuter rail network. MR operates 18 freight trains, and 379 passenger trains, transporting over 100,000 passengers daily.
The quality of the railway infrastructure is generally poor. Most remains in poor repair, and is not passable during the monsoon season. The speeds of freight trains are heavily restricted on all existing links as a consequence of poor track and bridge conditions. The maximum speed for freight trains has been quoted as 24 km/h (15 mph), suggesting that commercial speeds on this section could be as low as 12–14 km/h (7.5–8.7 mph).
MR has steadily increased the reach of its network in the last two decades, from nearly 3200 km in 1988 to 5403 km in 2010. MR is currently undertaking an ambitious expansion program that will add another 3,645 km (2,265 mi) to its network, including extensions to Myeik in the south, Kyaingtong in the east, Sittwe in the west. Also, conversion from metre gauge to standard gauge is proposed.
Rail transport was first introduced in Myanmar in May 1877 when Lower Burma was a British colony with the opening of the 163-mile (262 km) Yangon to Pyay line by The Irrawaddy Valley State Railway. In 1884, a new company, The Sittang Valley State Railway, opened a 166-mile (267 km) line along the Sittaung River from Yangon to the town of Taungoo via Bago. After the annexation of Upper Burma following the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885, the British extended the Taungoo line to Mandalay, the fallen capital, by 1889. Following the opening of this section, the Mu Valley State Railway was formed and construction began on a railway line from Sagaing to Myitkyina and connected Mandalay to Shwebo in 1891, to Wuntho in 1893, to Katha in 1895, and to Myitkyina in 1898.
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