Myanmar’s deadly railways claim more than 200 lives in 2 years

Published on Thursday, 07 February 2013 17:45

The number of people killed in train accidents fell last year to 90 from 111 the year before due to increased policing of trains and stations, officials said.

Senior railway police officer Hla Moe said more officers had been deployed to ensure security at train stations nationwide after the number of accidents, injuries and deaths rose two years ago.

Most deaths occurred on the Yangon Circular Railway and the express railway linking Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay, figures from the Myanmar Railway Police Department show.

Although more than two hundred people were killed in train accidents over the past two years, the decline last year shows that safety measures are having an effect, Hla Moe said.

“More officers have been deployed in areas with a high number of accidents,” he added.

In 2011 train accidents killed 99 males and 12 females, according to the Myanmar Railway Police Department. The accidents also injured 48 males and nine females, the department said.

Last year saw a decline in deaths but not injuries, which totaled 58. Most of the deaths continued to be male, 83 of the 90, figures from the department show.

A major cause of accidents is drivers not waiting for incoming trains to pass at intersections, the figures show.

Myanmar’s railway network spans almost 5,870 kilometres and has 926 stations. It is operated by the state-run agency Myanmar Railways, which also operates the Yangon Circular Railway line, a commuter rail network.