Place to see: Death Railway, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

The Death Railway

The Death Railway by Joel Carillet

During World War II, the Japanese used Allied prisoners of war and conscripted Asian laborers to build a railway linking Thailand and Burma. The project swallowed more than 100,000 lives and today most of the railway--which is also known as the Thailand-Burma Railway--has been dismantled.

The Death Railway
Crossing the Viaduct
Portrait Photography on the Krasae Viaduct
View from the Death Railway

About this place:

During World War II the Japanese, seeking to avoid the dangerous sea route around the Malay peninsula to Burma, ordered the construction of a railway linking Thailand and Burma. The construction, begun in September 1942, would take 16 months and require more than 300,000 laborers to complete, including 60,000 Allied prisoners of war. 100,000 workers would die during the project.

Today most of the railway has been dismantled, but for three dollars one can ride the 2.5-hour stretch between the Thai towns of Kanchanaburi and Nam Tok. It is a journey through stunning scenery and a somber history.

The Death Railway is also known as the Thai-Burma Railway.

Postcards about Death Railway:

  • Joel Carillet

    10 June 2008
    From:
    Joel Carillet

    The line between the towns of Nam Tok and Kanchanaburi is all that remains of the infamous Death Railway, built by the Japanese during World War II using conscripted Asians and Allied prisoners of war. When I made the 2.5 hour journey, locals and tourists alike were aboard the train, and the scenery outside was as stunning as the history was tragic. The highlight of the journey was rumbling over the Krasae Viaduct, which offered a breathtaking view of a river below. It impressed me so much that two days later I rented a motorbike, finding my way back to the Viaduct to take this photograph.

Kanchanaburi, Changwat Kanchanaburi, TH

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Discovered by Joel Carillet
on 10 June 2008.
628 views.