The southern Land Bridge megaproject will proceed as planned, as several companies from China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have expressed their interest in investing in the project, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy Planning (OTP) said yesterday.
According to OTP director-general Panya Chupanich, if all goes according to plan, construction will begin in 2026 and conclude in 2030. Once completed, the Land Bridge will provide an alternative route for ships heading from the Gulf of Thailand to the Andaman Sea and vice versa.
The Land Bridge will help boost activities along the Southern Economic Corridor, which will see two deep-sea ports constructed in Chumphon and Ranong that will also be connected by a motorway and railway.
He said the agency is in the process of designing the ports and launching the required environmental health impact assessment (EHIA) report.
Meanwhile, the Department of Highways and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) are designing the motorway and railway system, respectively, said Mr Panya, adding they will carry out their own environmental impact assessment (EIA).
He said the agencies have until September next year to complete the tasks, and the bidding for the project is expected to begin late next year or early 2026.
Mr Panya added that the OTP is going to hire a consultant to prepare the required documents and advise the office on the selection of investors, with a budget of 45.959 million baht. The 840-day employment contract is expected to be signed by next month.
He also revealed that international investors, including Dubai Port World (DP World) and other companies from the United States and China, have shown interest in investing in the Land Bridge project. High-level executives of these companies have visited the location where the project will be carried out.
As such, the OTP is confident that the Land Bridge project will proceed, said Mr Panya.
The OTP is also pushing for the approval of the SEC Act in a bid to drive the Land Bridge project forward. The act would see the four southern provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chumphon and Ranong, included in the Southern Economic Corridor. The bill for the act will be presented to the cabinet by November, with approval by parliament expected in April next year, he said.
