In 1942, the Japanese invaded Burma, and in order to transport supplies and troops, the Japanese arrived in Burma by sea through the Malay Peninsula, the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. However, the route was often attacked by Allied submarines, and in 1943 the Japanese built a 415-kilometer-long Thai-Burmese railway to avoid the great threat of shipping after the Battle of Midway. The "Thailand-Burma Railway" starts from Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, and ends in Tenbuyaya, Myanmar, along the way are mostly deserted cliffs, rapids, and dense rainforests.
Historical photographs displayed in the Thai-Burma Railway Museum (remake: Zhang Puchao)
The railway built on the edge of the cliff is extremely difficult (remake: Zhang Puchao)
The conditions for the construction of this railway were extreme, the Japanese army coerced nearly 250,000 Southeast Asian migrant workers and about 60,000 Allied prisoners of war, forced labor during the construction, suffered from abuse, in the hot and humid rainforest builders had no tools other than shovels and hammers, no medicine, food was also very scarce, about 90,000 migrant workers and more than 12,000 Allied prisoners died, and the railway was also known as the "Death Railway" by posterity. Interestingly, most of the building materials, rails and sleepers used to build this railway were dismantled from Malaysia and the East Indies. This is somewhat similar to the Japanese army's practice of building railways to tear down the eastern wall and supplement the western wall when they invaded China. After Japan's surrender, the British dismantled about 3.9 kilometers of railroad tracks on the Thai-Burmese border. The entire line was closed in 1947 due to the structure of the line, which could not support commercial transport, and 10 years later the Nong Pura to Nanto section reopened with passenger trains from Bangkok to Nantok, while the line from Nantok to Moulmein, Myanmar, was abandoned.
Today, if you want to experience this railway by train, you can take a train from Bangkok's Thonburi Railway Station to Nam Tok, Kanchanaburi Province, which will pass by attractions such as the "River Kwai Bridge" and "Cliff Railway" along the way, using the oldest carriages in Thailand, and can integrate into the Thai people to feel the most innocent Thai culture. Open the window, listen to the jingle of the wheels and tracks, the cool breeze blowing in the face, looking at the scenery flashing outside the car, it is very pleasant.
Thonburi Railway Station on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in the southwest corner of Bangkok (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Thonburi Station is very busy in the early morning, and some short-distance slow trains from the south of the west stop at Thonburi Station (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Trains to the "Death Railway" implement dual fares, and buyers buy tickets for 100 baht per ticket regardless of how many stops they take (Photo: Yang Cheng)
If you don't pay attention, you can't imagine that this is a busy station (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The train uses the oldest carriage in Thailand, and the interior is made of wood materials, because there is no air conditioning, the windows are all open, and it is very emotional to open (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Many trains in Thailand do not close their doors when they are running, and no one manages them, so they can get on and off the train at will or even pickpocket. However, this also caused a lot of safety hazards, when the author returned to Bangkok from the "Death Railway", he encountered an accident in which a passenger on the opposite train was thrown out of the train because he did not stand still at the door of the train.
Train with wide doors open (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The windshield at the connection of the train is also dilapidated (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Some vendors bring their own ice cubes, cold drinks are sold in the car, and ice cubes can also be given to passengers to play and cool down (Photo: Yang Cheng)
It is the coolest thing to drink a cold drink in the sweltering carriage baked in the hot summer (photo: Yang Cheng)
Thonburi Station is a branch line around Bangkok that joins the Southern Trunk Line to Hat Yai, Thailand, at Taling Chan Junction Station (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The attendants on the Thai train will wave the flag at the end of the train to signal the driver to depart after the passenger has finished getting off (Photo: Yang Cheng)
There are not only many foreigners visiting the "Death Railway", but a group of students from the Chinese Department of Chulalongkorn University also organized a group to play in the carriage (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Beifern, who studied Chinese, said she had traveled to Shanghai and will continue her studies in Hangzhou next year (Photo: Yang Cheng)
In the carriages, many locals take trains to the morning market, and in Thailand, such slow trains often function as commuter trains (Photo: Yang Cheng)
In the side stool car, a child is playing around, and grandma is staring at the side (Photo: Yang Cheng)
At Camburi Station, the train added a few more cars and headed for the Bridge over the River Kwai (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The "bridgehead" station in front of the River Kwai Bridge, both sides of the station are full of stalls selling souvenirs (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The "River Kwai Bridge" was originally the No. 277 Bridge of the Thai-Burma Railway. Anyone who has seen the famous World War II movie "The Bridge of the River Kwai" must be familiar with it, and the bridge in Thailand's Cancanaburi province crossed the Khwae Yai River and was an important node of the Thai-Burma Railway at that time. However, the railway bridge depicted in the film did not actually cross the Kwai River at that time, and the "River Kwai Bridge" in the movie was actually located in Kitugra, Sri Lanka, and was a specially made shooting scene for the film, and the plot in the film was also fictional. The real-life "River Kwai Bridge" is a reinforced concrete bridge built in June 1943 by Allied prisoners of war, which was introduced by Japanese builders from Pulau Jawa, the Dutch Indies, and consists of eleven curved truss bridges. During the construction of the steel bridge, a wooden bridge was built about 100 meters upstream to facilitate the construction of the main bridge. The two bridges were blown up by RAF bombers on 13 February 1945, and after repairs, the wooden bridge was damaged again by an air raid on 3 April. The June 24 airstrike eventually destroyed the railway bridge and brought the entire railway line to a standstill. Today, the steel bridge has long been repaired and is still in use today, and the remnants of the wooden bridge no longer exist. The original bridge did not have a name, thanks to the 1960s movie "Bridge on the River Kwai", which was renamed to this one.
There are not many trains passing through the bridge every day, and if you want to photograph the train driving by on the bridge, you need to consult a good time in advance (photo: Yang Cheng)
After the train stopped at the "Bridgehead Station", the author immediately rushed to the bridge, and the train will also wait for all the passengers who got off the train to arrive at the location before driving (photo: Yang Cheng)
The bridge is very narrow, the diagonal beam is only half a meter wide from the car body, and even the train standing on the guardrail of the car outside the bridge seems to pass in front of it (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Due to its age, the train was very slow when passing through the bridge, and the vibration and impact of the wheels and rails was amplified by the iron bridge, which was very shocking (photo: Yang Cheng)
The identity of the bridge is inscribed on the curved truss (photo: Yang Cheng)
Today, the Bridge over the River Kwai has become a famous attraction, welcoming tourists from all over the world every day (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The tropical afternoon is very hot, and the iron bridge under the scorching sun can feel the heat emitted when walking on it (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The bridge is more rudimentary, not even the guardrails on both sides, if you sit on the train, it seems to be flying in the air (Photo: Yang Cheng)
At the head of the bridge, the UNexploded aerial bombs dropped by the US military told the public about the tragic war of that year (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The bridge stands on top of the quietly flowing River Kwai, and the "Colonel Poughy March" echoes in the ears, it is difficult to imagine how many tragic stories have happened here (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Finally waiting for you "Asia Orient Express"
On this trip, the author inquired before departure that the famous "Asia Orient Express" would run, and planned the travel time, and would meet the "Orient Train" at the "River Kwai Bridge". When it comes to the "Orient Express", many people first think of the famous "Murder on the Orient Express". People envied the luxurious way of traveling for the nobility on this luxury train that used to run in Europe. In Southeast Asia, there is also a luxury train between "New Matai", known as the "Asian Orient Express".
Not long after arriving at the River Kwai Bridge, the "Asia Orient Express" arrived as scheduled (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The train stopped after driving on the bridge, because the body and the width of the bridge were very small, and I could only walk off the bridge from the lower part of the train (Photo: Yang Cheng)
As the most luxurious train in Southeast Asia, the number of days it runs every year, and the Bridge of the River Kwai is also the most important attraction on the journey of this train (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The famous River Kwai Bridge blends with the luxurious "Asian Orient Express", which is a rare scene (Photo: Yang Cheng)
After the train stops at the bridge for about 20 minutes, it will return to Camburi Station, and in order to facilitate the return of the train, it will be pushed and pulled forward and backward (Photo: Yang Cheng)
At Camburi Station, passengers on board will get off the bus to continue visiting the bridge (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The author rushed to the station after the train staff is resting, the author introduced their hobbies to them, hope to be able to get on the train to visit, the train butler and Belmond company BOOS said very welcome, unfortunately is preparing to get on the train when the passengers returned in advance, the author was declined, but the train staff said that the train will stop at Bangkok Hua Lamphong Station for a long time, you can go to Bangkok to visit.
The train butler who is greeting (Photo: Yang Cheng)
After a short time, the train slowly left the station, and the author will also take a follow-up train back to Bangkok to continue to visit the "Asian Orient Train" (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Returning to Bangkok is the morning train, And Kamkanburi Station will sell tickets half an hour before the start, and the fare is still 100 baht per person (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The return train needs to drop off several cars at Cam camburi station, and when the train arrives at the station, the staff releases the hook, and then the train leaves (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The return train can go to the end of the train, and the open tail is very cool in the hot summer (Photo: Yang Cheng)
However, the open carriage also caused a lot of dust, and the staff also swept the floor from time to time, making the carriage dusty (photo: Yang Cheng)
Many stations on the Thai Railways still use hinged turnouts, but the quality of the lines is much better than in other countries (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The Asia Orient Express was produced in Japan in 1972 and then operated the Silver Star Sleeper service from Auckland, New Zealand to Wellington between 1972 and 79. In 1992, a luxury five-star hotel founded the Asia Orient Express and bought the train. All carriages are operated by Orient Express Hotels, which was renamed Belmond in 2014. In order to adapt to the railways in Southeast Asia, the full train was changed from a New Zealand 1067mm gauge to a 1000mm gauge, and a new design by Gérard Gallet was completely renovated in Kuala Lumpur, with the interior decoration and new livery and signage to meet the requirements of luxury.
The "Asia Orient Express" is equipped with three grades of car, Nameman sleeping car, State sleeping car and Presidential sleeping car, a full train of three food trucks and a rear bar viewing car to meet the various needs of tourists. Of course, it takes three days for such a luxury tourist train to run from Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand, and the lowest-class Pullman carriages cost as much as $3100, while the Stateroom carriages and presidential suites are as high as $4400 and $7250, which is staggering.
"Asia Orient Express" carriage type (photography, drafting: Yang Cheng)
"Asia Orient Express" stopped at Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The most characteristic of the whole train is the semi-open viewing car at the end of the train, the interior uses a lot of high-grade high-quality wood, and the color scheme is mainly burgundy (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The train painting is a combination of dark green and milky yellow, and the atmosphere is calm (Photo: Yang Cheng)
The interior of the carriage is designed with the essence of Western and Southeast Asian cultures, and is decorated with textiles that embody the skills of traditional Southeast Asian craftsmen (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Take the train to Don Mueang Airport
People who have been to Bangkok know how bad the traffic situation in Bangkok is compared to how bad it is, as the world's most "congested" city, it is almost impossible to take a car to travel if it encounters a peak, and it often takes hours to get from Bangkok to Don Mueang Airport. However, there is a "hidden" mode of transport that makes it easy to get to the airport from downtown Bangkok and is very cheap: take the train to the airport.
Bangkok Hua Lamphong Station not only hosts long-distance trains from all over the country, but also runs short-distance suburban trains that run around Bangkok (Photo: Yang Cheng)
From Hua Lamphong Station to Don Mueang Station, the author took the 154 train, which takes 40 minutes to run between the two stations, and only 20 baht (Photo: Yang Cheng)
In the maintenance section of Hua Lamphong Station, the diesel vehicles inside are organized into a large train waiting for maintenance (Photo: Yang Cheng)
There were not many passengers on the train, dangling out of Hua Lamphong Station in a bunch of trains (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Hua Lamphong Station is not very far from Don Mueang Station, but trains have also been greatly affected due to poor traffic in Bangkok. Because the railway and highway in the city are level crossings, so there are many crossings, whenever the car is blocked at the railway crossing, the train must stop, wait for all the cars to leave and then run, such stop-and-go is also an important reason for the delay in and out of the Bangkok station.
The train slowly swayed in the city (Photo: Yang Cheng)
There is a special area for staff and monks in the carriage, and ordinary people are not allowed to sit in this area (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Bang Su Station is being built outside bangkok, which will be the largest railway station in Bangkok and even Southeast Asia in the future (Photo: Yang Cheng)
A rare freight train (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Old diesel locomotives on display outside the Bangkok Railway section (Photo: Yang Cheng)
A side garage holds many scrapped locomotives (Photo: Yang Cheng)
About 10 minutes later, the train arrived at Don Mueang Station, and when the train left, it could cross the railway to the overpass and directly reach the check-in counter (Photo: Yang Cheng)
In the future, with the re-planning of Bangkok's train pattern, the future of Don Mueang Station is uncertain (Photo: Yang Cheng)
Compared with the railways of other countries in Southeast Asia, the Thai railway can be said to be the most developed, and in the future, Thailand will also be connected with the Chinese railway, and it will no longer be a dream to go to Thailand by train. Of course, today's Thai railways still retain a lot of human environment while ensuring the convenience of travel, much like the railways in China at the beginning of the millennium, but with the development and innovation of Thai Railways, the stricter the management in the future, and many of the experiences that can be experienced today will no longer exist.