Transport & Logistics
From The Report: Myanmar 2018
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As the largest country in mainland South-east Asia, and sharing borders with around 40% of the world’s population, Myanmar holds enormous potential to become a regional transport and logistics hub. However, the country suffers from a notable infrastructure deficit. Although several major highway projects have been completed, much of the road network is in need of upgrades, while the national rail network, the largest in ASEAN by kilometres of track, continues to suffer from poor maintenance and underinvestment. With a sizeable amount of funding needed to close its infrastructure gap, officials are working with international lenders and bilateral partners to finance new transport projects. An increasing emphasis on public-private partnerships (PPPs) is offering additional opportunities to private and foreign investors. This chapter contains interviews with U Thant Sin Maung, Union Minister, Ministry of Transport and Communications; U Htun Myint Naing, Chairman, Asia World; and Chen Bo, General Manager, China Road and Bridge Corporation.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

From here to there: Major road, rail and port investments bode well for logistics, trade and development potential
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As the largest country in mainland South-east Asia, and sharing borders with around 40% of the world’s population, Myanmar holds enormous potential to become a regional transport and logistics hub. However, the country suffers from a notable infrastructure deficit. Myanmar lacks a deepsea port and a modernised railway network, as well as a mass transit system in its largest city Yangon. Although several major highway projects have been completed, much of the road network remains in need of upgrades,…

Interview

Moving forward: U Thant Sin Maung, Union Minister, Ministry of Transport and Communications, on strategies to attract investment
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Interview:U Thant Sin Maung What measures should be adopted to attract more foreign investment in transport infrastructure? U THANT SIN MAUNG: Private participation has been allowed in the port sector since 1995. Currently, 90% of the port terminals at Port of Yangon are being operated by foreign and local private companies. As for the aviation sector, the international airports of Yangon and Naypyidaw are operated by local private firms and Mandalay International Airport is operated by the…

Interview

Moving on up: U Htun Myint Naing, Chairman, Asia World, on the development of international airports and the benefits of privatisation
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Interview:U Htun Myint Naing How will the expansion of Yangon International Airport (YIA) benefit the tourism sector and encourage international airlines to add new routes? U HTUN MYINT NAING: This is an exciting time for the aviation industry in tandem with the country’s ongoing economic expansion and the liberalisation of government policies. Passenger numbers have more than tripled from 1.9m in 2010 to 5.9m in 2017, which indicates that YIA is poised to play a key role in supporting…

Analysis

Ticket to ride: Moves to reform bus services in Yangon and reduce congestion
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Rapid urbanisation and robust economic growth have had a notable impact on urban mobility in Yangon. Traffic congestion is rising to become an increasingly pressing concern for businesses and commuters, especial as the city’s population is set to grow from 7.4m in 2017 to more than 10m people by 2030. The government is currently undertaking reforms to streamline and consolidate its massive public bus network; however, recent moves to launch a bus rapid transit (BRT) service and consolidate fleets…

Interview

Centre stage: Chen Bo, General Manager, China Road and Bridge Corporation, on bilateral cooperation and infrastructure investment
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Interview:Chen Bo In what way will Myanmar take advantage of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to develop its transport infrastructure? CHEN BO: The BRI initiative is an ambitious project that looks to improve connectivity at a global scale, with China at its epicentre. The initiative aims not only at connecting the country with its South-east Asian neighbours, but also at improving connectivity within those countries. Therefore, the aim of the project is to create a sophisticated…