MYANMAR Railways under the Ministry of Railways Transportation is planning to introduce special charter trains for foreign tourists, a senior MR official said last week.

The trains, which will have up to two passenger carriages, a dining car and a carriage for MR staff, will provide services from Yangon to Myitkyina, Mandalay or Mawlamyaing, said U Kyi Aye, the general manager (economic) at MR.

He said the trains will be available for charter by travel companies and decisions were yet to be made on hiring costs and when the service would be introduced.

The self-propelled rail-bus-engine carriages would give travel companies the option of hiring only one carriage. The carriages can accommodate 53 seated passengers or be configured to provide seating for 29 passengers and sleeping spaces for six travellers.

U Kyi Aye was speaking during a special Yangon-Mandalay trip for travel agents and media representatives organised by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism in cooperation with the Ministry of Railways Transportation.

“We organised this trip to get suggestions from travel agents for improving our services for international travellers,” U Kyi Aye told a news conference during the journey.

The Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Brigadier General Aye Myint Kyu, said at the news conference that the suggestion to launch charter trains for foreign travellers was made by Secretary (1) of the State Peace and Development Council Lieutenant General Thein Sein.