Public hearings begin in first step towards the land bridge

The Transport Ministry’s Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) has finished drafting the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) Act and the public hearing process began on Friday (March 21), a Government House source said.

The process is expected to be completed in one month, the source added.

The draft SEC Act covers future development plans for the southern provinces of Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani, and Nakhon Si Thammarat, which include the government’s 1-trillion-baht land bridge project.

The mega-project involves constructing deep-sea ports in Chumphon and Ranong and transforming transport routes between Chumphon and Ranong to link the ports. The land bridge is expected to help ease shipping congestion in the Malacca Straits, currently the main regional trade route for cargo.

The draft act also covers legal requirements, conditions and privileges for investors in the development projects.

The OTP stated the objectives of the act as development of a hub in the southern region that links trade and logistics with the country’s key economic areas, with a focus on promoting economic activities that are environmentally friendly and modernising of southern cities.

“The development of the Southern Special Economic Corridor will define targeted industries, with a focus on environmentally friendly industries, processing of economic crops, eco-tourism and health industries, as well as striving to become a transportation and logistics hub in the region,” the OTP stated.

A news source from the Transport Ministry revealed that once the SEC bill is enacted, the SEC office will be established, and further plans will proceed, including the design of railways and expressways, environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and the environmental and health impact assessments.

The Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Office is expected to complete the EIA by 2025, in line with port design and EIA requirements, the source said.

For the selection of private investors, the Request for Proposal is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026, with investor selection finalised in the second quarter. Land expropriation will then be addressed, and the project will be presented to the Cabinet for approval.

Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of 2026 and be completed by the end of 2030, the source added.