Yangon Central railway station
Yangon Central ရန်ကုန် ဘူတာကြီး | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Yangon Central railway station in July 2011 | |||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||
Location | Mingala Taungnyunt11222,Yangon,Yangon Division,Myanmar Myanmar | ||||||||||||
Coordinates | 16°46′54″N96°9′40″E/ 16.78167°N 96.16111°E | ||||||||||||
Operated by | ![]() | ||||||||||||
Line(s) | |||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
|
Yangon Central railway station(Burmese:ရန်ကုန် ဘူတာကြီး[jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃bùdàdʑí]), also known asYangon Central Station,is the largest railway station inMyanmar.It is located within downtownYangon,and serves as the gateway toMyanmar Railways' 3,126 mi (5,031 km) rail network[2]whose reach coversUpper Myanmar(Naypyidaw,Mandalay,Shwebo), upcountry (Myitkyina), Shan hills (Taunggyi,Kalaw), and the Taninthayi coast (Mawlamyine,Ye).
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 byU Tinin traditionalBurmesearchitectural style, making prominent use of indigenous tiered roofs calledpyatthat,and was completed on 5 June 1954.[3][1]Yangon Central railway station has been designated a landmark building since 1996.
History
[edit]1877–1954
[edit]Yangon Central railway station was first built in 1877 by the British to support Burma's first railway line, from Yangon toPyay.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 theYangon City Heritage List.[4]
1954–present
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Yangon_central_railway_station_terminal.jpg/220px-Yangon_central_railway_station_terminal.jpg)
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
[edit]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
[edit]It is home of many homeless people who made the railway terminal as their permanent residence.[4]
References
[edit]- ^abcdWei 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.Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2021.Retrieved21 August2021.
- ^ab"Myanmar Yangon Central Railway Station to Move to New Satellite Town".Xinhua News. 2007-12-11.Retrieved2008-09-14.
- ^abcdMaung Myat Mon (Sule) (2006-11-20)."Heritage structure still serves railway system".The Myanmar Times.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-09-15.Retrieved2008-09-14.
- ^abTaylor Weidman (12 December 2016)."Life at Yangon Central Railway Station".www.aljazeera.com.Al Jazeera Media Network. Archived fromthe originalon 21 August 2021.Retrieved21 August2021.
External links
[edit]- Official websiteArchived2015-06-18 at theWayback Machine