Tram rail line comes back in Myanmar after 70 years

Myanmar Railways has launched its first tram rail services after suspension for more than seven decades, an official report said on Monday.

The initial 5.6-km tram line on Yangon's Strand Road was put into service on Sunday in a bid to ease traffic congestion and provide commuters with convenient public transportation.

The total line will be 11 km after two additional phases of development, according to the Ministry of Rail Transportation.

The tram rail project is implemented under a 3-million-U.S. dollar deal between the Myanmar Railways and the Japan-based West Corporation signed in July last year.

Myanmar's tram rail service dated back to 1904 with a total of 77 electric commuter tram cars running in Yangon before the World War II, but the services stopped during the war.

The current railroad along the Strand Road serves mainly as a transit route for cargo to transport goods from Yangon ports.