The Burma Railway (Burma-Thailand Railway) is completed.
The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Siam–Burma Railway, the Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma, built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian labourers impressed or recruited by the Japanese and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War II. This railway completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma. The name used by the Japanese Government is Tai–Men Rensetsu Tetsudō (泰緬連接鉄道), which means Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway.
The Thai portion of the railway continues to exist, with three trains crossing the original bridge twice daily bound from Bangkok to the current terminus at Nam Tok. Most of the Burmese portion of the railroad (the spur from the Thai border that connects to the Burma main line to Moulmein) fell into disrepair decades ago and has not seen service since.
Between 180,000 and 250,000 civilian labourers and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war were subjected to forced labour during its construction. During the railway's construction, around 90,000 Southeast Asian civilian forced labourers died, along with more than 12,000 Allied prisoners.