River Kwai bridge, Railway bridge in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
The River Kwai Bridge is a railway crossing in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, extending 320 meters in length. The structure combines steel and concrete sections that connect both banks with several arched spans, through which trains pass on the historic route between the two countries.
Japanese forces compelled prisoners of war and civilian workers to construct the crossing in 1943 as part of a railway linking to Burma. After bombing raids during the Second World War, Thai engineers repaired the structure and incorporated sections from the original wartime construction.
The name comes from a Western mistranslation of the nearby Mae Klong river, which many outside the country still refer to as Kwai. The crossing draws people from around the world who stand on the tracks between the arches and look down at the water below, while trains slowly pass by and passengers wave from the windows.
Visitors can walk across the tracks on foot or ride one of the daily trains running between the two terminal stations. Watch for announcements or whistles when a train approaches, and step back onto the narrow viewing platforms along the sides.
Sections of the structure originated from a dismantled crossing in Java, shipped here and combined with the wartime remains. Some of the original steel beams still carry markings from the construction period, visible along the arches.
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