Is the massive “land bridge” project worth the trillion baht investment?

[snoop1130]

 

One of the mega projects being inherited by the new government from the Prayut administration is the land bridge, intended to facilitate the movement of cargo containers and oil from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand and to destinations beyond Thailand, as an alternative to the busy Strait of Malacca.

 

The Prayut administration has painted a rosy picture of this mega project, a new alternative to the Kra Canal project, which has laid dormant for several decades. It hopes that construction of the project can commence in 2025 and be completed in four years.

 

Opponents of the project, especially among conservationist groups, have doubts that it is worth the massive investment, estimated at about one trillion baht, and question from where the investment money will come.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/is-the-massive-land-bridge-project-worth-the-trillion-baht-investment/

 

-- Thai PBS 2023-09-01

 

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[PETERTHEEATER]

It's worth it for the commission alone.

[tomazbodner]

Don't get it why not copy Magdeburg and make "Kra canal" like this:

 

 

Would avoid having to move cargo from one ship to another and trucks in between, as ships could just sail right through...

 

Singapore would be upset, though. Very upset. Just that alone (under table payments NOT to build it) could equate or exceed commissions for building the land bridge...

[smedly]

well it is hardly a major shipping route like the suez canal or the panama canal, i think it will go ahead because the is so much money to be made

 

were there's a budget they can fudge it.........................the bigger the better

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Don't get it why not copy Magdeburg and make "Kra canal" like this:

All that weight of concrete, water ships and cargo precariously high above ground level, and migrant labour on a minimum wage.. a good enough reason not to I'd say.

[SoilSpoil]

I read very little about the ecological damage as this project would destroy primary rainforests in Ranong. Big no.

[redwood1]

The subs could use the canal....

[sammieuk1]

I'm now a trillionaire said one billionaire ????

[2baht]

Is the massive “land bridge” project worth the trillion baht investment?

 

Kaching kaching, definitely! ????

[Sydebolle]

If it ever happens, and that is a very big  IF , then the Chinese will do it. Too big, too complex for the Thai government (irrespective of who habitats the government house); latter only interested in the massive kick-backs. Here the question comes of course, if and how Singapore would react as it would take the entire transit East-West out of the equation for them. And, in all fairness, having seen both the Thai and Singaporean way of operating ports, the Thais are generations behind ????

[retarius]

Just dig a canal like Panama or Suez. No need for a canal in the air.

[Henryford]

China will fund it, they want to avoid the Malacca Straight as a choke point for their ships.

[bamnutsak]

32 minutes ago, retarius said:

Just dig a canal like Panama or Suez. No need for a canal in the air.

 

This land-bridge idea, has ports on either end with a rail/road connection over land connecting the two.

 

Seems preposterous.

 

The canal idea is a no-go as it would divide Thailand.

 

The government should have aspirational goals, but these projects are just idiotic.

 

 

 

 

[Xonax]

10 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Don't get it why not copy Magdeburg and make "Kra canal" like this:

 

 

Would avoid having to move cargo from one ship to another and trucks in between, as ships could just sail right through...

 

They would need to reload the cargo to smaller vessels anyway! Why would ships be better than trains and trucks?

Edited September 2, 2023 by Xonax

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, Xonax said:

They would need to reload the cargo to smaller vessels anyway! Why would ships be better than trains and trucks?

Why? Would they not be planning to make it comparable in width to say Panama or Suez? Certainty should be wide enough to handle sea going ships and containers.

Edited September 2, 2023 by jacko45k

[Bundooman]

11 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Don't get it why not copy Magdeburg and make "Kra canal" like this:

 

 

Would avoid having to move cargo from one ship to another and trucks in between, as ships could just sail right through...

 

Singapore would be upset, though. Very upset. Just that alone (under table payments NOT to build it) could equate or exceed commissions for building the land bridge...

And then Chinese warships and suchlike would be highly visible on passage from the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman.

Because  that is what would be on China's mind.

What a wonderful target that would be........

[redwood1]

Just now, Bundooman said:

And then Chinese warships and suchlike would be highly visible on passage from the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman.

Because  that is what would be on China's mind.

What a wonderful target that would be........

Dont worry, Thailands subs will take care of those war ships..

[Joedoebarinio]

What is wrong within the canal?

[retarius]

I've thought about this overnight, and still don't understand the benefit of putting it in the air instead of just digging a canal. If it is about land usage and buying land, kicking folk off land etc but if you put it in the air, you still have to buy the land underneath and no one could live there, so there's no saving. This will be mad expensive to build and to operate, meaning increased costs for ships to use it. I am assuming that sea level is the same in the Gulf as in the Andaman Sea so you will have to pump up vast amounts of water to fill the damned thing. Makes no sense to me. Will someone please explain any advantages the land bridge might have. Thank you all.

[Digitalbanana]

19 minutes ago, retarius said:

I've thought about this overnight

I'll bet most of us were thinking of something else on this forum; trillion baht investments a bit above our pay grades.

[Mr Derek]

I thought about this in the shower. No.

[mfd101]

12 hours ago, smedly said:

well it is hardly a major shipping route like the suez canal or the panama canal,

Oh rilly? Just a large part of China's, Japan's, Sth Korea's & Taiwan's trade passes thru the Straits of Malacca ...

[HaoleBoy]

China wants this "land-bridge" and will "loan" the money for it just as they have done all over eastern Africa (ports and railways).  Then if Thailand can't repay China will take it over as they are doing now in Africa.

 

The gulf of Thailand will become a bigger environmental dumping ground.

 

Singapore has 1 of the largest ports in the world (along side Hong Kong).  Singapore's port is very complex with custom software running where containers are in port, what containers can sit next to others (certain chemicals can not be right next to each other) and how containers are packed on ships (in case of fires at sea).   I wouldn't trust Thailand to replicate this.  I can imagine HK must have their own custom software as well ...

[Spilornis]

The oil pipeline might make sense as a standalone project but the port facilities at either end would be expensive. Might work if ships could stand offshore and disgorge the oil into offshore piping buoys. You'd want to have strong environmental controls but you might get away with a series of breakwater complexes.

Can't see the rail or road working simply because of the cost and infrastructure not to mention the double handling.

The Chinese funded east-west railway in Malaysia was touted as being a container route. Who knows if it will work

[EVENKEEL]

It would be a logistics nightmare for cargo needing to travel beyond the Gulf side. I don't see it happening. Malacca St. at night is a nail biter for sure. You could save 1200 km of travel with the highway but lose alot of time offloading and loading if product is going beyond Thailand. 

[kwilco]

"as an alternative to the busy Strait of Malacca."

 

THis is the key question which doggs this and the Kra Canal

 

Chinese don't want it, Singapore doesn't want and the amount of traffic it could carry doesn't warrant it. 

Chinese are already busy building routes through Loas to Burma and Thailand

 

THere will always be ships that can't go down it and not enought ships who would pay enough to use it.

 

If they want to connect across the Kra Isthmus then build a railway.  THat existed before but a proper modern piece of civil engineering would bring jobs and boost cities like Chumpon and Ranong

Edited October 15, 2023 by kwilco