Mega land bridge project not a pie in the sky, says Transport Ministry
Ministry reckons bidding for the 1-trillion-baht project will kick off next year with more than 100 Thai and foreign companies showing interest
Thailand’s ambitious land bridge project will certainly go ahead and should be open for bidding by late next year, the Transport Ministry said on Friday.
The 1-trillion-baht land bridge in the South of Thailand will serve as a link between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The mega-project involves constructing deep-sea ports in Chumphon on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand and Ranong on the Andaman side and building a transport route linking the two ports. This land bridge is expected to help ease congestion in the Malacca Straits, currently the main trade route for cargo.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said many investors showed interest in the project during roadshows in Italy and Saudi Arabia as well as during the market-sounding event in Bangkok on May 30.
He said the ministry was preparing a bill to propose to the House of Representatives in July and is looking to see if investors’ comments can be applied to the bill. “We expect to see bidders [for the land bridge project] in late 2025,” he added.
Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri, meanwhile, said the ministry is also preparing a draft act on the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) to ensure it will go into effect alongside the bidding for the land bridge project.
“We will accelerate the draft act’s preparation because it is important for driving the country’s economy,” she said.
Echoing the Transport Ministry, Kitti Limsakul, adviser to the House of Representatives extraordinary committee for considering the land bridge project, confirmed that the project will go ahead as more than 100 Thai and foreign companies showed interest during last month's market-sounding event.
He also confirmed that the SEC draft act is important as guidelines should be set up to facilitate land expropriation and ensure benefits among locals.
Kitti also advised the Transport Ministry to finalise the draft act within this year, as well as set up a committee and office for the SEC to drive the project’s development.
He said he expects construction to kick off by September next year and be completed in three phases by 2027.
“If lawmakers and people do not oppose the draft act, we believe the bidding [for the land bridge project] should open within 2025,” he added.
