Editing Burma Railway (section)

== History ==
[[Image:Death Railway.png|thumb|Map of the Death Railway]]
A railway route between Burma and Thailand, crossing [[Three Pagodas Pass]] and following the valley of the [[Khwae Noi River|Khwae Noi river]] in Thailand, had been surveyed by the British government of Burma as early as 1885, but the proposed course of the line – through hilly jungle terrain divided by many rivers – was considered too difficult to undertake.{{sfn|MacArthur|2005|p=43}}

Thailand was a neutral country at the onset of World War II. On 8 December 1941, [[Japanese invasion of Thailand|Japan invaded Thailand]], which quickly surrendered.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107074552/http://inpattayanow.com/2012/11/12/outside-pattaya/the-japanese-invasion-of-thailand-8-december-1941/ |url=http://inpattayanow.com/2012/11/12/outside-pattaya/the-japanese-invasion-of-thailand-8-december-1941/ |archive-date=7 January 2013|title=The Japanese invasion of Thailand, 8 December 1941 |website=In Pattaya Now|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uspowtbr.com/10-2-the-dec-1941-invasion/ |title=10.2 The Dec 1941 Invasion |website=US POWs Thai-Burma Railway|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> Thailand was forced to accept an alliance,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://world-war-2-planes.com/how-was-thailand-impacted-in-world-war-2/ |title=How was Thailand Impacted in World War 2?|website=World War 2 Planes|date=28 September 2021|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> and was used as a staging point for the [[Fall of Singapore|attack on Singapore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.military-history.org/feature/great-commanders-yamashita.htm |title=Yamashita: the greatest Japanese general of World War II? |website=Military History|date=14 October 2014 |access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref>

In early 1942, [[Japanese conquest of Burma|Japanese forces invaded Burma]] and British forces quickly surrendered. To supply their forces in Burma, the Japanese depended upon the sea, bringing supplies and troops to Burma around the [[Malay Peninsula]] and through the [[Strait of Malacca]] and the [[Andaman Sea]]. This route was vulnerable to attack by Allied submarines, especially after the Japanese defeat at the [[Battle of Midway]] in June 1942. To avoid a hazardous {{convert|2000|mi|km|adj=on}} sea journey around the Malay Peninsula, a railway from Bangkok to Rangoon seemed a feasible alternative.{{sfn|Daws|1994|pp=183–184}} The Japanese began this project in June 1942.<ref>[http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/cemeteries/chungkai_war_cemetery/html/thailand_-_burma_railway.htm roll-of-honour.org.uk]</ref>
[[File:Malaysian Tamils.jpg|thumb|Civilian workers during the construction of the railway between June 1942 and October 1943]]
[[File:The Bridge Over The River Kwae.jpg|thumb|The British government sold the Thai section of Burma railway to the Thai government for a total of 50 million baht|alt=]]
[[File:Death Railway in Thanbyuzayat.JPG|thumb|Abandoned section of Death Railway in [[Thanbyuzayat]], Myanmar (Burma)]]

The project aimed to connect [[Ban Pong District|Ban Pong]] in Thailand with [[Thanbyuzayat]] in Burma, linking up with existing railways at both places. Its route was through Three Pagodas Pass on the border of Thailand and Burma. {{convert|69|mi|km}} of the railway were in Burma and the remaining {{convert|189|mi|km}} were in Thailand. After preliminary work of airfields and infrastructure, construction of the railway began in Burma and Thailand on 16 September 1942.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uspowtbr.com/20f-banpong-incident/ |title=20.3 BanPong Incident |website=US POWs Thai-Burma Railway |access-date=29 January 2022 |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129135912/https://www.uspowtbr.com/20f-banpong-incident/}}</ref><ref name="pbs">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-thailand-burma-railway/169/ |title=The Thailand-Burma Railway |website=PBS |date=26 June 2008 |access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref> The projected completion date was December 1943.{{sfn|MacArthur|2005|pp=43–48}} Much of the construction material, including tracks and [[railroad tie|sleepers]], was brought from dismantled branches of [[British Malaya|Malaya's]] [[Federated Malay States Railway]] network and the [[Dutch East Indies|East Indies']] [[History of rail transport in Indonesia|various rail networks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bobkelsey.net/plan.html |title=The Japanese Plan |website=Bob Kelsey|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47650280?searchTerm=burma-siam%20railway%20loot |title=Burma-Siam Railway - Australia receives no payment|website= The West Australian |date=9 March 1949|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?facets%5Bperiode%5D%5B%5D=1%7C20e_eeuw%7C1940-1949%7C&query=thailand+spoorweg+verkocht&coll=ddd&identifier=ddd:010897486:mpeg21:a0065&resultsidentifier=ddd:010897486:mpeg21:a0065&rowid=1 |title=Grote schade aan materiaal der N.I. Spoorweg Mij|website=Het dagblad| date=3 July 1947|access-date=1 February 2022|language=nl}}</ref>

[[File:Thailand Burma Railway Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Wang Pho Viaduct]] built by civilian and POWs on the railway]]

The railway was completed ahead of schedule. On 17 October 1943, groups of civilians violently transported from Burma were forced to commence working south, meeting up with groups of civilians taken from Thailand who were working in a northerly direction. The two sections of the line met at kilometre 263, about {{convert|18|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the Three Pagodas Pass at [[Konkoita]] (nowadays: Kaeng Khoi Tha, [[Sangkhla Buri District]], [[Kanchanaburi Province]]).{{sfn|Waterford|1994|p=243}} A holiday was declared for 25 October, which was chosen as the ceremonial opening of the line.<ref name="meet">{{cite web|url=https://www.fepow.family/Articles/Death_Railway/html/meeting_point.htm |title=Meeting Point|website=Far East POW Family|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="uspowmeet">{{cite web |url=https://www.uspowtbr.com/8j-konoita-mtg-point/ |title=8.12 Konkoita mtg point |website=US POWs Thai-Burma Railway |access-date=30 January 2022 |archive-date=30 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130130448/https://www.uspowtbr.com/8j-konoita-mtg-point/}}</ref> The Japanese staff would travel by train [[C56 31]] from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. A copper spike was driven at the meeting point by commanding General Eiguma Ishida, and a memorial plaque was revealed.<ref name="uspowmeet"/>

The Japanese Army transported 500,000 tonnes of freight{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} over the railway during the course of the war.  Construction camps housing at least 1,000 workers each were established every 5–10 miles (8–17&nbsp;km) of the route.<ref>{{cite web |title=Distances between camps on the Burma-Thailand Railway |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/pow/camp_distance |access-date=1 February 2022 |website=Australian War Memorial}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kampen aan de Birma-spoorweg |url=https://www.japansekrijgsgevangenkampen.nl/Birma-spoorweg.htm |access-date=1 February 2022 |website=Japanse Krijgsgevangenkampen |language=nl}}</ref> Workers were moved up and down the railway line as needed.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Death Railway - A Dutch viewpoint |url=http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/death_rr/dutch_view_death_railway.html |access-date=1 February 2022 |website=Mansell}}</ref> The construction camps consisted of open-sided barracks built of bamboo poles with thatched roofs. The barracks were about {{convert|60|m|yd|abbr=on}} long with sleeping platforms raised above the ground on each side of an earthen floor. Two hundred people were housed in each barrack, giving each person a two-foot wide space in which to live and sleep. Camps were usually named after the kilometre where they were located.{{sfn|Waterford|1994|pp=238–239}} The worst months of the construction period were known as the "Speedo" (mid-spring to mid-October 1943).<ref>{{cite book |author=Sears Eldredge |url=https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1003&context=thdabooks |title=The Thailand-Burma Railway: An Overview |publisher=DigitalCommons@Macalester College |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-615-57445-5 |page=47}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Stolen Years: Australian prisoners of war – The Burma–Thailand Railway |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/burmathai |access-date=1 February 2022 |website=Australian War Memorial}}</ref>

=== Post-war ===
Within a year of the Second World War, Britain, while facing bankruptcy, [[European colonisation of Southeast Asia|retook]] Burma, Malaya, Singapore and the Straits Settlements.  On 16 January 1946, the British ordered [[Japanese prisoners of war in World War II|Japanese Prisoners of War]] to remove a four-kilometre stretch of rail between Nikki (Ni Thea) and [[Sonkrai]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="hellfire"/> The railway link between Thailand and Burma was to be separated again for protecting British interests in Singapore.<ref name=":0" /> After that, the Burma section of the railway was sequentially removed, the rails were gathered in [[Mawlamyine]], and the roadbed was returned to the jungle.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LRlUI-SqWTweLcrhihRzriUaNCEIw8HF|title=メクロンの永久橋-実録-戦場にかける橋-塚本和也-鉄道ファン1981年11月号|last=Tsukamoto|first=Kazuya|date=1981-11-01|website=Google Docs p18}}</ref>

In October 1946, the Thai section of the line was sold to the [[Government of Thailand]] for £1,250,000 (50 million baht; {{Inflation|UK|1250000|1946|fmt=eq|cursign=US$|r=-3}}).<ref name="sold"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myonlinetour.com/thailand/TheBridgeOverTheRiverKwae/index.htm|title=The Bridge Over The River Kwae|website=Myonlinetour|access-date=2018-06-12|archive-date=27 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527140349/http://www.myonlinetour.com/thailand/TheBridgeOverTheRiverKwae/index.htm}}</ref> The money was used to compensate neighbouring countries and colonies for material stolen by Japan during the construction of the railway.<ref name="sold">{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/98204032?searchTerm=burma-siam%20railway%20sold |title=Burma-Siam railway sold|website=Western Star and Roma Advertiser |date=11 October 1946|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> On 1 February 1947, two people—including Momluang {{ill|Kri Dechatiwong|th|หลวงเดชาติวงศ์วราวัฒน์ (หม่อมหลวงกรี เดชาติวงศ์)}}, the [[Ministry of Transport (Thailand)|Thai Minister of Transport]]—were killed on an inspection tour because the bridge near [[Konkoita]] had collapsed.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Railway Atlas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia |author=B. R. Whyte|pages=69–70|year=2010|publisher=White Lotus Press |isbn=978-974-480-157-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/151564771?searchTerm=killed%20burma%20railway |title=Death plunge On Burma Railway |website=Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser|date=7 February 1947}}</ref> After the accident, it was decided to end the line at [[Nam Tok railway station|Nam Tok]] and reuse the remainder to rehabilitate the line.<ref name="rotfai">{{cite web|url=http://portal.rotfaithai.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=11 |title=Date & Events of Railway in Thailand |website=Rot Fai Thai|access-date=30 January 2022}}</ref>

After the war, the railway was in poor condition and needed reconstruction for use by the [[State Railway of Thailand|Royal Thai Railway]] system. On 24 June 1949, the portion from [[Kanchanaburi railway station|Kanchanaburi]] to [[Nong Pladuk Junction Railway Station|Nong Pla Duk]] ([[Thai language|Thai]] หนองปลาดุก) was finished; on the first of April 1952, the next section up to [[Wang Pho railway station|Wang Pho]] (Wangpo) was done. The two curved spans of the bridge which collapsed due to the British air attack were replaced by angular [[Truss bridge|truss spans]] provided by Japan as part of their postwar reparations, thus forming the iconic bridge now seen today. Finally, on 1 July 1958, the rail line was completed to Nam Tok ([[Thai language|Thai]] น้ำตก, 'waterfall', referring to the nearby [[Sai Yok Noi Waterfall]]) The portion in use today is some {{convert|130|km|mi|abbr=on}} long. The line was abandoned beyond [[Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi]];<ref name="rotfai"/><ref name="hellfire">{{cite web| url=http://www.hellfirepass.com/historical_facts_hellfire_pass.html| title=Historical Fact on the Burma Death Railroad Thailand Hellfire pass Prisoners conditions| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118163648/http://www.hellfirepass.com/historical_facts_hellfire_pass.html| archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref> the steel rails were salvaged for reuse in expanding the [[Bang Sue Junction railway station|Bang Sue]] railway yard, reinforcing the [[Bangkok railway station|Bangkok]]–[[Ban Phachi Junction]] double track, rehabilitating the track from [[Thung Song Junction railway station|Thung Song Junction]] to [[Trang railway station|Trang]], and constructing both the Nong Pla Duk–[[Suphan Buri railway station|Suphan Buri]] and [[Ban Thung Pho Junction railway station|Ban Thung Pho]]–[[Khiri Rat Nikhom railway station|Khiri Rat Nikhom]] branch lines. Parts of the abandoned route have been converted into a [[List of rail trails|walking trail]].<ref name="walkingtrail"/>
[[File:Thanbyuzayat MMR011004701, Myanmar (Burma) - panoramio (1).jpg|alt=|thumb|The first locomotive used for goods transport on the Death Railway on display in [[Thanbyuzayat|Thanbyuzayat, Myanmar]]]]
Since the 1990s various proposals have been made to rebuild the complete railway, but {{As of|2021|lc=y}} these plans had not been realised. Since the upper part of the Khwae valley is now flooded by the [[Vajiralongkorn Dam]],<ref name="uspowmeet"/> and the surrounding terrain is mountainous, it would take extensive tunnelling to reconnect Thailand with Burma by rail.

[[File:Death Railway Line Mawlamyine.jpg|180px|thumb|The start point in Myanmar]]