Thread by @EdithMirante

1. This History Thread is about the railways of Burma (Myanmar) where railway lines have been important but often neglected & become flashpoints in times of conflict. Links to short videos with posts 3, 5, 13, 14, 18. 🚂
#WhatsHappeningInBurma

2. Irrawaddy Valley State Railway Co.’s meter-gauge Rangoon-Prome line completed 1877 during British colonial control of Lower Burma. Railway reached Mandalay 1889 & lines added to Shwebo 1891, Katha 1895, Myitkyina 1898. 3 private companies taken over by Burma Railway Co., 1896.

3. Workers from India were employed for most railway construction in Burma under British rule. An American company built spectacular Gokteik viaduct 1899-1901, then world’s longest (690 m) railway trestle, 102 m high in Shan St. for Mandalay-Lashio line.

4. Burma Railway Co. placed under direct control of British colonial India/Burma government 1928 as Burma Railways. Steam engines imported from Britain/Europe, used coal from India. Burma tourism promotion included railways but income declined as road & river transport improved.

5. Burma Mines Railway (610 mm gauge) built 1903-09 to connect Mandalay-Lashio line with silver & lead mining at Tiger Camp & Bawdwin (Shan St.) Transport of ore & equipment + free passenger service. 2011 railtruck video:

6. Railways were a target of resistance to British rule of Burma. Colonial railway police watched for “seditious” activity. Early 20th C., Young Men’s Buddhist Association opposed European-only railway compartments. Saya San rebellion 1930-32 attacked railway (stations, bridge.)

7. In WW2 despite heavy Japanese bombing, Burma Railways evacuated civilians & provided military transport during early 1942. Retreating British destroyed Sittang railway bridge Feb. ’42, which stranded own troops in a major defeat. thisworldrocks.com/war-history/un…

8. During the WW2 Japanese occupation of Burma, railway infrastructure was repeatedly sabotaged by Allies' long range forces including Chindits which sought to cut Japanese supply route of Mandalay-Myitkyina line along Mu Valley “Railway Valley” (at Indaw, Mawlu, Hopin.)

9. Burma Railways didn’t connect to other countries until WW2 Japanese built Siam (Thailand) Burma Railway. Est. 90,000+ Asian workers, 12,000+ Allied POWs died in Siam during its construction. Burma section of the railway was severed & removed post war.

10. After WW2 & Independence, Burma govt. began restoring severely damaged railway system to prewar capacity, adding locomotives (upgrading from steam to diesel) & rebuilding bridges. But following 1962 military takeover Burma’s infrastructure development stagnated for decades.

11. Post-1988 Myanmar (Burma) junta expanded railways: Ye-Tavoy, Kayah St. (Karenni), Shan St extension. Regime used forced labor for rail projects incl. est. 12,000 in Kayah, 120,000 on Ye-Tavoy. Railways in disrepair, derailments, wrecks, bridge collapses, some lines abandoned.

12. In 1950s-70s Burma, Communists & Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) attacked/sabotaged railways as Myanmar military used trains for troops, supplies. After Myanmar military broke ceasefire w. Kachin Independence Army in 2011 KIA often sabotaged railway: www2.irrawaddy.com/article.php?ar…

13. As Myanmar economy changed post-2011 unreliable trains competed for passengers with new buses. But railways still attracted international visitors incl. steam train enthusiasts & Anthony Bourdain (following earlier writers Norman Lewis & Paul Theroux.) cnn.com/videos/living/…

14. Rail Bus Engine trains (locally made or Japanese) provide passenger service on many rural & urban lines in Myanmar. Since 1954 the Circular Railway, a double track commuter line, has served Yangon (Rangoon) + surrounding areas. 2014 BBC video: bbc.com/news/av/world-…

15. In western Myanmar, Chin St. has no railway & Rakhine St. (Arakan) just a limited line. Arakan Light Railway operated 1919-26. In recent years a short Rakhine St. line has been segregated, Rohingya passengers often restricted to separate compartment. theguardian.com/global-develop…

16. Burma (Myanmar) Railways no international connectivity except in WW2. China 2011 proposed China-Myanmar Railway to Rakhine St. petro port; mid-'22 still trying to start Myanmar section. China also seeks Pan-Asia Railway via Mandalay, Yangon to Bangkok. irrawaddy.com/news/burma/spo…

17. In the tradition of Burma’s anti-dictatorship General Strike of 1974 which was commenced by railway workers of Myitnge (Mandalay Region), after Feb. 1, 2021 coup Myanmar Railway workers were at forefront of many protests & helped organize mass strikes. myanmar-now.org/en/news/the-tr…

18. Opposing Feb. 2021 Myanmar coup most railway workers joined Civil Disobedience Movement, causing system-wide shutdowns. Coup regime attacked them & evicted from their Myanmar Railways housing. Myanmar Railways People’s Defence Force formed Sept. 2021.

19. Armed resistance to Myanmar coup regime has included attacks on soldiers/police riding trains in Yangon & elsewhere. People's Defense Forces & Ethnic Armed Organizations have bombed/mined coup military supply trains & sabotaged railroad infrastructure. myanmar-now.org/en/news/people…

20. Myanmar coup regime retaliated vs railway strikers in March ‘22 by demolishing Myitnge, a railway worker town. Lack of staff, PDF/EAO attacks & shortage of imported diesel fuel for locomotives are diminishing Myanmar Railways operations since the coup. irrawaddy.com/news/burma/jun…

21. This History Thread is in memory of Aung Ko Latt & Ko Thiha Ko, CDM railway staff killed by coup military 2022. 🛤️A fundraiser for survival support of CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) striking Myanmar Railways workers: chuffed.org/project/myanma…

22/22. Sources include: JL Christian 1942, Silverstein 1964 JSAH, KHRG 1994-96, @mikecharneyuk 2016 HN & 2019 book, LC Stubbs online thesis 2018, @ProfBaillargeon 2020 JICH, @francesomorchoe 2020 TCO. 🚂 My previous Burma History Threads & reports are at: projectmaje.org