May 24, 2024
YANGON – Myanmar Railways (MR) reported that there have been 205 mine attacks in the area of railways and train stations, 163 mine attacks on railway bridges and 42 arson attacks on station buildings and staff housings in more than three years from February 1, 2021 to May 21, 2024.
The government is trying to improve the railway and infrastructure to make public travel and freight transportation convenient and fast and to upgrade the train transportation system but the terrorist insurgents have destroyed state-owned locomotives and trains, railways and bridges, injuring passengers and causing damage to goods and with the intention of making it impossible for people to travel safely.
On May 20, the MR reported that a group of terrorists detonated mines and destroyed the 60-feet long bridge No. 78 in mile post 124/14-13 between Thein Seik and Don Won stations in the Bago-Mawlamyine railway section in Thaton Township.
Officials and members of the security forces arrived at 5:45 am on May 21 at the scene of the incident and inspected the area and they found a mine in a black plastic bag with a cotton wire attached to the road crossing 1,000 feet away from the Yangon side before reaching the bridge and they destroyed it. Mines exploded at four places on the bridge and about one foot left and right of the track is damaged.
On May 21, at 6:30 am, the Thein Seik-Don Won railway section was temporarily closed, and officials made repairs to reopen the section on time, and the section was reopened at 10:14 am, announced the MR.
Due to the mine incident, the No.81 up passenger train, which was scheduled to depart from Yangon Station at 6:30 am on May 21, was able to start at 8:00 am, causing a delay of one and a half hour from the normal departure time.
The MR reported that the No.82 down Mawlamyine-Yangon passenger train was able to leave Mawlamyine Station on time at 8:30 am and the No.686 down freight train, which was ready to depart from Thaton Station, was made to wait for a while and could only be dispatched when the track reopened, it said.