The Burma Railway was a 1,200-km (750-mi) network of railway tracks under construction by the Japanese during World War II. The railway was built to support Japanese military operations in Southeast Asia. The track was part of the Burma Road, a network of supply routes that ran from Yunnan Province in China through Burma to India. A small portion of the Burma Railway remains today as a tourist attraction in northern Thailand and as a memorial to the more than 100,000 Allied soldiers who died building it.
The Burma Railway began in early 1942 as a repair and maintenance facility for the existing Thai-Burma Railway constructed by British engineers during World War I. It was extended into eastern Burma to link with existing railroads in Thailand and construction continued throughout the war, despite Allied air attacks, until the final stretch of track linking Bangkok with Rangoon was completed in September 1945 by American engineers.
While most of the track runs through dense jungle, several parts were built on elevated causeways through waterways and swampy areas. This meant that bridges had to be built on stilts above water level to allow trains to pass over them. These bridges are still visible today and are a common sight along the route of the railway. Check out our website for more knowledge and facts.