The Yangon-Mandalay Railway section between Kyauktaga and Painzalok stations was detonated on the night of February 25, bringing the total number of detonations of railway bridges and tracks in the past four years to 174, sources said.

At around 10:00 pm on February 25, a mine planted by an insurgent group exploded on the railway section between Kyauktaga and Painzalok stations in Kyauktaga Township, Bago Region, on the Yangon-Mandalay Railway.

Local officials and security forces conducted a timely inspection of the area where the mine explosion occurred. The detonation caused two feet of the east rail and two feet of the west rail on the railroad to be cut, damaging ten concrete slabs.

Myanmar Railways staff have been inspecting the route to reopen it as soon as possible, and the work of replacing the two broken rails and repairing the route began at 11:20 pm, and the route was reopened at 3:30 pm, and trains are running normally.

Due to the mine explosion, the No.902-A down freight train running on the Yangon-Mandalay route stopped at Penwegone Station at 6:10 pm on February 25, and the No.902-B down freight train stopped at Kanyutkwin Station at 6:20 pm on February 25. The No.923-B up freight train stopped at Pyontazar Station at 7:05 am, and the No.913 up freight train stopped at Pyontazar Station at 7:35 am on February 26. The No.914 down freight train arrived at Zeyawady Station at around 8:45 am, the No.11 up passenger train arrived at Nyaunglebin Station at around 8:49 am, and the No.1 up mail train arrived at Bago Station at around 10:30 am.

Since February 2021, attackers have reportedly carried out 80 incidents of railway bombings or sabotage, 174 attacks on railway bridges and tracks, and 16 arson attacks on station buildings and staff quarters across Myanmar’s railway network.