Return of Death Road: Infamous 'Bridge on the River Kwai' railway built by Allied POWs re-emerges in Thailand after decades underwater

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:14, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 10:15, 17 June 2026 A famous World War II railway station built by Allied prisoners of war has re-emerged in Thailand after lying beneath water for 40 years. Nithe station was a key refuelling and resupply point on the notorious 'Death Railway', which linked Thailand and Myanmar. It remained hidden for decades until a reservoir was drained earlier this year to allow maintenance work on a nearby dam. Built during the Second World War, the 257-mile railway, which was the subject of the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai, earned its chilling nickname after tens of thousands of labourers and prisoners of war died during its construction. Approximately a quarter of a million people were involved in building the railway, including 60,000 Allied prisoners of war from the UK, US and Canada, alongside hundreds of thousands of labourers from across Asia, including Indonesia. The railway, also known as the Thai-Burma Railway, was built between October 1942 and October 1943 to connect Nong Pladuk in western Thailand to Thanbyuzayat in south-eastern Myanmar. Previously it had more than 60 stops or stations.  Today, the line only runs within Thailand between Nong Pladuk and Nam Tok and has become a tourist attraction.  A famous World War II railway station built by Allied prisoners of war has re-emerged in Thailand after spending 40 years underwater Nithe station was a key refuelling and resupply point on the notorious 'Death Railway', which linked Thailand and Myanmar It remained hidden for decades until a reservoir was drained earlier this year to allow maintenance work on a nearby dam Remnants of Nithe station began to appear in April when Thailand's electricity generating authority drained the water. Photographs published by The Nation, a Thai media outlet, showed sections of the railway tracks as well as some of the structural remains that were once used for operations and maintenance. One major discovery is the upper concrete structure of an old inspection pit located south of one of the turning points. It is a rare surviving feature of the original railway, since most of the stations have been refurbished or demolished over the years. The unexpected emergence of Nithe has attracted tourists and researchers from across the globe. Martyn Fryer, an Australian researcher, whose grandfather died working on the railway in 1942, told the Associated Press that he had tried to visit Nithe station in the past without success.  'I've been to Nithe station three times in the past, but the water level has always been too high to actually really appreciate the fantastic offerings that it has with the remaining infrastructure and the layout of the railway itself,' Mr Fryer said.  To locate POW camps in the area, Fryer compared wartime aerial photographs of Nithe from the National Archives in London with hand-charted maps brought by Andrew Snow, a researcher with the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre. Built during the Second World War , the 257-mile railway, which was the subject of the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai, earned its chilling nickname after tens of thousands of labourers and prisoners of war died during its construction The Bridge On The River Kwai is the World War II Oscar winner about an Army colonel (Alec Guinness) obsessed with proving British superiority over his Japanese captors by showing that his engineers could build a better bridge than theirs Like Fryer's grandfather, Snow's father was captured in Singapore and forced to work on the railway.  Southeast Asia's dry season often exposes bits of the station. But the water levels hit a new low this year and drained so quickly that vegetation has not yet regrown, making Nithe easier to study, Snow explained.  Hundreds of domestic visitors have also flocked to see the 'rare incident', said Kitti Laokham, a 47-year-old local resident whose posts of Nithe have racked up 32 million views on social media. Channarong Noimala saw the videos online and motorbiked 350 kilometers (217 miles) northwest from Bangkok to see the exposed station. 'At least for those who died here, no matter whether they are laborers or prisoners of war, we can remember them,' Noimala said. Time is running out for those who want to catch a glimpse of the station before it disappears again. The dam's maintenance will be completed in August and the reservoir will be refilled. The Bridge On The River Kwai is the World War II Oscar winner about an Army colonel (Alec Guinness) obsessed with proving British superiority over his Japanese captors by showing that his engineers could build a better bridge than theirs.  Although the 1957 film was set on the Death Railway of Burma, where British PoWs built a real bridge over a real River Kwai in Thailand, it was filmed in Sri Lanka.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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