Yangon Circular Railway

I had two sightseeing goals for my last day in Myanmar - to take the circular train line and to see Shwedagon Pagoda. The weather forecast said that there was a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms at 2pm, and that the thunderstorms would last through the evening. So, I was anxious to get my sightseeing done by then.

The Circular Line is a 30 mile train line that circumnavigates Yangon. It is a lifeline for many, especially those in poorer communities. It takes around three hours to do the full loop.

I wanted to experience this train ride to see a different side of Yangon and to observe the people who use this train. With the threat of afternoon thunderstorms looming, I decided to save time by calling for an Uber to take me to Yangon Central Railway Station. Once I got to the station, I managed to locate the platform for the Circular Line with some difficulty, and I bought a ticket for the grand sum of 200 kyat (about 16 cents). I boarded the 8.35am train.

The train on the Circular Line was old and it did not ride smoothly. But, I got to observe the people who use these trains. There were merchants lugging their wares to other places to sell them - I saw people with cabinets, brooms, mats, and random baskets and styrofoam boxes. There was also a constant parade of vendors coming onto the train selling fruit, snacks, and, interestingly, hard boiled quail eggs (there were three such vendors walking through the train at the same time near the end of the ride). Many of the vendors were women and they carried their wares on their heads. I witnessed an argument between a ticket inspector and a ticket cheat. All these added up to a wonderful slice of life experience.

Before I boarded the train, I assumed there would be toilets on board, so I kept myself hydrated. During the ride, I walked the length of the train and I realized to my horror there were no toilets on board. Ugh. About halfway through the ride, the train pulled into Daryingon, and I saw a welcome sign: "toilet", painted in big bold letters. I disembarked the train and went to relieve myself. Daryingon has a large market selling mostly vegetables, so I wandered around the not-too-sanitary market (think black mud and burlap sacks on the ground to keep people from slipping) while waiting for the next train. I observed that there were some vendors selling their wares on the track. I resolved to video them moving their goods as the train rolled in, but, alas, I was caught unaware when the train did roll in about 20 minutes later.

The next car I boarded was an old JR (Japan Railways) car. The other cars in that train were different from this one. I parked myself under one of the few working fans and watched Yangon go by. I noted that this car had a toilet, so I stayed hydrated. Halfway through to remaining journey, I got up to use it and found it was padlocked. Drats.

The train rolled into Yangon Central around noon.

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