Transport ministry will press ahead with the land bridge project, to link a deep-sea port in Ranong  on the west coast with a deep-sea port in Chumphon on the east coast by rail and motorway systems, to facilitate goods shipments to destinations beyond Thailand without going through the Straits of Malacca.

 

Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said it is estimated that the massive project will cost about one trillion baht. Each seaport will be capable of handling 20 million cargo containers, or TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), per year.

 

Suriya said that the project is now being studied by the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, adding that the Prayut administration had decided that the project will be entirely private sector funded, while the government will provide land for the two deep-sea ports and for the road and rail routes.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2023-09-21

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

1 trillion for the project and 9 trillion trousered will be the cost for sure ???? 

8 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

1 trillion for the project and 9 trillion trousered will be the cost for sure ???? 

For sure. Starting with some bloated consulting projects for relatives of ministers.

Why road? Why not just train tracks? Surely more economical than trucks to move cargo from one coast to another.

 

PS: What happened to Kra canal again?

19 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Why road? Why not just train tracks? Surely more economical than trucks to move cargo from one coast to another.

 

PS: What happened to Kra canal again?

Could this save any cost or time compared to sailing through the Straits of Malacca? Is the issue piracy or collision danger?

For decades, the kra-Canal project has been floated & rejected..,

 

https://shippingtelegraph.com/port-news/to-dig-or-not-to-dig-the-dilemmas-surrounding-thailands-mega-canal/

 

I wonder if this land bridge project is someone’s last ditch attempt to ‘profit’…

oh… cynical I am !!!

 

Perhaps there would be fuel savings, but offset by transport costs. 
 Time savings ?…  how much time ? Unload from ship, load onto train or lorry, travel 50-100km (long bridge) l, unload from train / lorry, load onto new ship…

 

The Kra-canal project seems more logical if it weren’t for the geopolitics.

11 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

For decades, the kra-Canal project has been floated & rejected..,

 

https://shippingtelegraph.com/port-news/to-dig-or-not-to-dig-the-dilemmas-surrounding-thailands-mega-canal/

 

I wonder if this land bridge project is someone’s last ditch attempt to ‘profit’…

oh… cynical I am !!!

 

Perhaps there would be fuel savings, but offset by transport costs. 
 Time savings ?…  how much time ? Unload from ship, load onto train or lorry, travel 50-100km (long bridge) l, unload from train / lorry, load onto new ship…

 

The Kra-canal project seems more logical if it weren’t for the geopolitics.

I doubt there would be hardly any saving of money or time....There is a very good chance it would cost more to use the land bride and take longer....

Now this soap opera has been going on for at least 30+ years. Toggling with the "Kra" canal in tandem ........ 

If you want to compete with Singapore by shortening the Far East-West sea link, then talk to the Chinese. No other nation is able to stem such projects all the while read the fine print. And, as Laos proved with its railway to absolutely no benefit of Laos except the few thousands who now can cross the land like greased lightning - some of the decision-makers walked away with a pension scheme to dream of ....... but that does not need extra training for the Thai government .......... 

Not even a challenge. That's only around 54,000 twenty foot containers per day on average. ????

15 hours ago, placnx said:

Could this save any cost or time compared to sailing through the Straits of Malacca? Is the issue piracy or collision danger?

Well it should, at least taking 2 days off the trip....providing the Thai services can remain efficient. 

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Well it should, at least taking 2 days off the trip....providing the Thai services can remain efficient. 

DId you consider the time to unload the ship and to load a ship on the other side, not to mention downtime if other ships are occupying available berths?

16 hours ago, placnx said:

DId you consider the time to unload the ship and to load a ship on the other side, not to mention downtime if other ships are occupying available berths?

No I completely ignored that thought imagining the containers would lift up and fly into the sky under their own power!