Fresh Take on Gokteik Viaduct

Myanma Railways is offering tourists a new travel experience over the dramatic canyon in Shan State

By YAN PAI / YANGON

State-owned Myanma Railways is opening up a new way for sightseers to take in one of Myanmar’s lesser-known treasures, offering the opportunity to charter a rail gang car (RGC) across the Gokteik Viaduct, a towering bridge that spans more than 2,200 feet of a canyon in western Shan State.

The RGC, which is normally used for railroad track repairs, has been modified to allow tourists to better experience the journey across the viaduct and the picturesque panorama of the surrounding Shan hills.

Myanma Railways is charging 100,000 kyat (around US$100) for a one-way trip in the 20-seat RGC, according to reports in state-run dailies last month. Sightseers are transported more than 2,200 feet between the stations of Naung Cho to Naung Pain, located at the two ends of the viaduct.

“Foreigners are already visiting the Gokteik Viaduct by ordinary train, but they are not very satisfied,” said U Htein Win, manager of Myanma Railways No. 3 Division (Transport). “It is also dangerous for them to take pictures out of the windows. That’s why we have arranged for a special vehicle to attract them.”

Guardrails have been fixed to the RGC to ensure the safety of tourists, he said.

The bridge is located in Nawnghkio Township and is part of a set of railway tracks linking the towns of Pyin Oo Lwin, the summer capital of the former British colonial administrators of Myanmar, and Lashio, the principal town of northern Shan State. It is the tallest bridge in the country and at the time of its completion was the largest railway trestle in the world.

Construction of the bridge was overseen by Sir Arthur Rendel, an engineer for the Burma Railroad Company. Work on the bridge holding 2,260 feet of track began in 1899 and was completed around a year later. A total of 16 steel towers were built, the tallest of which is more than 800 feet high.

In line with an overall increase in the number of tourist arrivals to Myanmar over the past three years, more foreign visitors are visiting the viaduct, U Htein Win said. Around 50 foreigners visit the viaduct by train monthly. Some travelers take the train from Pyin Oo Lwin, while others begin at Lashio, he said.

“I welcome the move targeting foreign travelers. It is good for foreigners who come in groups,” said U Tin Tun Aung, chairman of the Myanmar Travel Association.

“However,” he added, “they should get a level of service equal to the amount they pay; otherwise, they will choose something else.”

The number of foreign tourists to Myanmar has risen steadily over the last three years, with over 1 million arrivals in 2012, about 2.14 million in 2013 and more than 3 million in 2014. 