Yangon Circular Railway is both a form of transport and a unique feature of life for the poorer residents of Yangon, which is Myanmar’s largest city. Cheap, dirty, slow but every bit as vibrant as the many colourful markets the track passes by. Not all visitors will enjoy a ride on these rickety old trains but if visit Yangon without riding the circular line, then you haven’t really visited Yangon.
About Yangon Circular Railway
Yangon Circular Railway runs 45.9 km in a loop northwards from Yangon Central Railway with 38 stations on route before arriving back at Yangon Central Station. The line is double track with train services running in both directions. Train drivers with generally complete the 3 hour long circular twice during each shift. The trains on this service are very basic: no air-conditioning or functional fans, no door or windows, no toilets, hard seats and no trolley service. The ticket price is commensurate with the absence of facilities: tickets cost the equivalent of 20 to 60 US Cents (payable in the local currency) depending on the length of the journey. There is only one class. Tickets can be purchased at travel agencies for inflated prices, but it’s easy and cheaper to simply the buy the tickets at Yangon Central Station when you arrive. Trains run from around 06:00 to 22:00 every day, although services tend to stop doing the full circuit after 17:00.
Yangon Circular RailwayIt’s the cheapness of the tickets that makes Yangon Circular Railway so popular. In normal times this suburban railway service gets 100,000 to 150,000 passengers a day, very few of whom are riding this line for the fun of it. A network of markets has developed along the railway line, which was first installed during the time Burma was a British colony, and the service feeds these markets with customers and produce. In a very real way Yangon Circular Railway is the main distribution network for small food retail operators, and an important driver of the local economy. The service is a loss maker, like many railway services around the world, and is subsidised by Myanmar’s government. Not so many people use the line to commute to a formal job because it is simply too slow, although a small number of very low income earners may do.
Location of Mingalardon Railway Station on the Yangon Circular Railway
- Mingalardon Railway Station is located 22.5 km by road from Yangon Central Railway Station.
Travel to Yangon Circular Railway
You can board the Yangon Circular Railway at Yangon Central Station. Follow the link below for information about travel to Yangon:
- See travel times from Bagan to Yangon
- See travel times from Chaungtha Beach to Yangon
- See travel times from Dawei to Yangon
- See travel times from Inle Lake to Yangon
- See travel times from Magway to Yangon
- See travel times from Mandalay to Yangon
- See travel times from Mawlamyine to Yangon
- See travel times from Myawaddy to Yangon
- See travel times from Naypyitaw to Yangon
- See travel times from Ngwe Saung Beach to Yangon
- See travel times from Pyin Oo Lwin to Yangon