Tanintharyi Line is a
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge railway line in
Myanmar's southernmost region,
Tanintharyi Region, operated by
Myanma Railways. The line runs from
Mawlamyine Railway Station (
Moulmein) to the
Dawei area, with connections to
Yangon Central Railway Station, it is under construction extending towards
Myeik from the current terminus of Thayetchaung Station, which lies just after Dawei Station. Current section in operation includes the part from Mawlamyaing Station to Thayetchaung. It is expected to become a part of a pan-Asian railway network, allowing spur connections specifically to
Thailand. A spur connection (95 km
as the crow flies) between the
SRT rail head at
Nam Tok railway station in
Kanchanaburi Province to Dawei Station through mountains is planned by Thai interests backed by Japanese funding, though other rail connections are certainly possible.
History
1994 saw the start of construction of the initially isolated 160 km (99 mi) Ye-Dawei (Tavoy) railway, completed March 1998. This was later joined to the route north at Ye by the new 250 m (270 yd)
road/rail bridge across the
Ye River, opened November 2003.
In April 2008, the tracks were extended across the 2.4 km (1.5 mi)
Thanlwin Bridge, a
road/rail bridge located in
Moulmein, provision having been made in its design when it was opened a few years earlier. This allowed the long isolated section south to Ye and later Dawei (Tavoy) to receive trains from the north of the country. A 20-mile extension to Thayetchaung Station was opened to traffic in June 2011.[1]