Yangon Central Railway Station (Yangon)

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Largest railway station in Myanmar. Main terminus of Myanmar Railways network and Yangon Circular Railway. First built in 1877 but destroyed during WWII. Rebuilt 1947-1954.
THE first railway line in Myanmar carried passengers a distance of 262 kilometres (161 miles) from Yangon to Pyay.
Passengers in Yangon were served by the Yangon Railway Station on the southern side of the railway compound on the upper block of Phayre Street (now Pansodan Street) in the downtown area.
The building was designed in the British Victorian style and the access roads were bordered by grassy lawns. The beauty of the property prompted locals to praise the new structure as the Fairy Station.
The second Yangon Railway Station was completed in 1911 on the northern side of the railway compound. It was built on Kwun-Chan Street (kwun-chan means “betel-growing area”) and is still called Kwun-Chan Station by locals.
The building was 228 metres (753 feet) in length and had a total floor area of 3763 square metres (40,500 square feet), providing ample space for the passenger load of the time.
By 1925, Myanmar’s railway system had been extended to 2786 kilometres (1720 miles) and total passengers numbered up to 3.4 million a year. Trains for Mandalay left Yangon at noon and reached their destination at 6:45am, 18 hours and 45 minutes later.
The Yangon Railway Station became a favourite target for Japanese bombers during World War II. In 1943 it was destroyed by British forces retreating to India.
The station was rebuilt following the war according to a design drawn by engineer U Hla Thwin and based on Myanmar architectural styles. The new structure was 5110 square metres (55,000sq ft) in size. To the north were grass lawns, gardens and wide access lanes.
The new design was approved by the Railway Authority on May 7, 1946. Construction was started in January 1947 by engineer Sithu U Tin and completed in May 1954 at a total cost of K4.75 million. The opening ceremony of the new Yangon Railway Station was held on June 5, 1954.
The Yangon Railway Station is among nearly 190 buildings on the Yangon City Development Committee’s list of heritage structures worthy of preservation