State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister of the State Senior General Min Aung Hlaing inspects locomotive manufacturing plant (Nay Pyi Taw) of electrical and mechanical department and main railway station of MR Nay Pyi Taw September 10 State Administration Council bChairman Prime Minister of the State Senior General Min Aung Hlaing inspected the locomotive manufacturing plant (Nay Pyi Taw) of the electrical and mechanical department and the main railway station of the Myanmar Railways, the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Pokbathiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw Council Area this afternoon. First, the Senior General was welcomed there by SAC members Admiral Tin Aung San, Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, Secretary Lt-Gen Aung Lin Dway, Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council Dr Maung Maung Naing, Commander of Nay Pyi Taw Command Maj-Gen Zaw Hein and officials. At the meeting hall, Union Minister for Transport and Communications Admiral Tin Aung San, General Manager U Tin Maung Than of the department and factory manager U Myint Naing presented a powerpoint report on history and functions of MR, employment of staff factorywise, nationwide train services and future programs, extension of railroads, construction of passenger coaches and wagons and future programs, locomotive maintenance and rail upgrading works, history of the locomotive manufacturing factory (Nay Pyi Taw) and train museum construction project, and the progress in implementing the instructions given by the Senior General during his visit to coach and wagon factory (Myitnge) on 18 May 2021. In response, the Senior General said rail transportation is greatly supportive for the country. The work of strengthening and improving rail tracks is the main priority task. Trackwise inspection is required. Bad tracks can cause damage to carriages and travel delays. So tracks must be maintained in accord with the set standard and it should be a long-term program. Yangon-Pyay is the first ever railroad opened in Myanmar. The railway must be improved and a long-term project must be laid to introduce electric trains. Past mistakes must be taken as lessons in building rivercrossing rail bridges. Parallel or double decker designs must be taken into account. Coal will be used in the steam locomotives to be repaired for tourism and quality coal must be used in operating them. Railroads must be in good condition and scenes along railroads must be picturesque for passengers while the interior of the trains is neat, tidy and clean. As the country has an experience of more than 100 years of the railway industry, locomotives and passenger and freight carriages must be built domestically. As research and development is vital for the development of a country, it is necessary to establish a research and development centre for the railway industry, to take development of electric trains in the future into consideration in production of carriages and to take step-by-step measures to upgrade locomotives by building small locomotives at the beginning of the process. Then, the Senior General and party inspected the assembly and maintenance of passenger and ordinary locomotives, assembly of new locomotives and newly built locomotives in Locomotive Factory (Nay Pyi Taw) and responsible officials conducted round the Senior General and party. Then, the Senior General and party continued to Nay Pyi Taw Railway Station and inspected the arrangements for construction of a railway museum, where responsible officials made reports on measures being taken. After hearing the reports, the Senior General said it is necessary to display ancient locomotives inside the museum as they could be damaged due to weather conditions if they were displayed outside in the long term, to develop proper plans to build a railway museum that has compatible designs with the country after studying railway museums in other countries and to monitor strict observance of railway safety rules not only at railway station zones but also along railroads. Locomotive Factory (Nay Pyi Taw) was built on 1 June 2015 with the aim of supporting the operations of two main locomotive factories such as Locomotive Factory (Insein) and Diesel Locomotive Factory (Ywahtaung) and expanding the maintenance tasks of diesel electric locomotives which are needed for the country and it was completed in April 2018. The first locomotive, DF 2093, was manufactured at the factory on 17 September 2018. The factory manufactured 10 locomotives in the 2018-2019 fiscal year and has been contributing to the development of the Myanmar railway industry.