Tourists from Thailand will be able to travel comfortably by new transport to Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, and China, provided these countries implement a plan to speed up the development of railway tracks connecting the five countries. It was announced at the 4th iTIC FORUM 2023: Power of Connectivity and Smart Mobility, according to Thaiger.
“The railway development initiative is aimed at positioning Thailand as the central transport hub of the region by the 20-year plan of the National Strategy,” Thai experts add. However, in general, implementation is planned for 2027.
We are talking, for example, about the Singapore-Kunming railway route, where currently only the section between Chumphon and Padang Besar remains single-track. Three southern routes are also planned for the second phase of the project: The Chumphon-Surat Thani section (168 km, budget 24 billion baht), Surat Thani-Hat Yai-Songkhla section (321 km, budget 57 billion baht), and the Hat Yai-Padang Besar section (45 km, budget 6.6 billion baht).
“For Thailand to become a regional transport hub, it is essential to advance the second phase of the dual railway development project. This phase includes seven routes with a length of 1,479 km with a budget of 275 billion baht, which will essentially complete the Singapore-Kunming railway line,” said the Thai Ministry of Transport.
In addition, the ministry is preparing to build a new Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (Nong Khai-Vientiane), which will run parallel to the existing bridge 30 meters away. It will take about a year to design, construction is expected to begin in early 2025, take about three years to complete, and most will be in operation by 2028. It will cost 3 billion baht, and the bridge will have four tracks: two standard tracks 1.435 m wide for high-speed trains and two tracks 1 m wide for double-track trains.
“From next year, the impact of the dual railway will begin to be felt, as connections within the country and between countries will become a reality. Currently, the length of the double railway is about 627 km, and by next year, when the first stage of the double railway will be completed, it will increase by about a thousand kilometers,” the Ministry of Transport added.