August 28, 2014 Tokyo, Japan
JICA.GO.JP
JICA held a seminar in Tokyo to outline two master plans "Myanmar’s National Transport" and "the Project for Comprehensive Urban Transport Plan of the Greater Yangon." More than 170 people working in the field of development in Myanmar attended. They included people from related government ministries and offices, financial institutions, trading companies, manufacturers, general contractors and consultancies.
Given Myanmar's market of some 61 million people and abundant natural resources, it is expected to develop economically and is drawing a high level of interest from other countries. To maintain national equality and promote continuous development, master plans will be essential in the next 10 to 20 years as blueprints to effectively improve the Myanmar national transportation network and the transportation network of the Yangon metropolitan area, which is the driving force behind the country's economic growth.
At the end of 2012, JICA began conducting surveys to assist in creating the Myanmar’s National Transport Master Plan and the Project for Comprehensive Urban Transport Plan of the Greater Yangon (YUTRA). Because the two master plan drafts had begun to take shape, the seminar was held to unveil outlines of them.
The Myanmar’s National Transport Master Plan sets a growth target of an average of 7.2 percent per year, taking into consideration the intentions of the Myanmar government. Traffic volume survey and other data showed there was a shortage of transport capacity in multiple corridors in the country.
If an annual average economic growth of 7.2 percent continues, the economy will be 5.4 times its current size by 2035. To achieve this growth, between 2014 and 2030, preliminary calculations show, some 2.67 trillion yen in investment is needed in basic transport infrastructure (which excludes urban and regional transportation) in all the fields of aviation, roads, rail, harbors and inland water transportation. The plan is to designate 2014 to 2020 as the emphasis period for improving basic transport infrastructure and to invest some 1.166 trillion yen over six years.
YUTRA projects that the current Yangon metropolitan area population of 5.7 million will be 9.7 million by 2035. The percentage of households owning automobiles is projected to rise from 12 percent to 32 percent and transportation demand is projected to be 1.8 times current levels. Traffic congestion already occurs frequently in places because of the deregulation of automobile imports in recent years.
The vision promulgated in the master plan is "to build a safe, comfortable and impartial transport system and a sustainable and efficient public transportation system in order to guarantee the mobility and accessibility of urban services needed by the people and society."
The plan also establishes three pillars: strengthening road maintenance and improvement, strengthening public transport development and strengthening traffic management. It is divided into the short-term (through 2018), the medium term (2018-2025) and the long term (2025-2035).
