YANGON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Indian authorities handed over the last batch of six diesel electric locomotives to Myanmar Railways, bringing the total to 18 delivered to Myanmar since the first batch in July 2017, Myanmar News Agency reported Tuesday.
The Indian YDM-4 diesel-electric locomotives, controlled by microprocessors, will be used on Yangon-Mandalay, Mandalay-Myitkyina and Yangon-Mawlamyine railways.
The locomotives are supplied by RITES, a public sector enterprise under the Indian Ministry of Railways and built by Diesel Locomotive Works, according to a statement release by the Indian Ministry of Railways.
Myanmar and India have been cooperating in the rail transportation sector since two decades ago and the project will help strengthen friendly border relations with India, the statement added.
Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on promoting economic cooperation was signed between the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and India-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce (IMCOC) earlier this month.
According to Myanmar's Commerce Ministry, bilateral trade between Myanmar and India reached 1.257 billion U.S. dollars as of January in the present fiscal year 2017-2018. Of the total, Myanmar's export to India took 547 million dollars, while its import from India accounted for 709 million U.S. dollars.