Travellers from Thailand are in for some good news – it will soon be possible to conveniently visit Singapore, Malaysia, Laos and China. New transport is planned to be launched. The aforementioned countries are going to implement a plan to accelerate the development of railway lines that connect these five nations.
“The railway development initiative aims to position Thailand as the central transport hub of the region in line with the 20-year plan of the National Strategy,” Thai experts add. The railway development is scheduled to be completed by 2027.
For example, there is now a Singapore-Kunming railway route that operates on one track in the area between Chumphon and Padang Besar. There are plans to add three more routes in the second phase: the Chumphon-Surat Thani section, the Surat Thani-Hat Yai-Songkhla section and the Hat Yai-Padang Besar section.
“In order for Thailand to become a regional transport hub, it is crucial to promote the second phase of the dual railway project. This phase includes seven routes of 1,479 kilometres, which will substantially complete the Singapore-Kunming railway line,” the Thai Ministry of Transport said. More than five hundred kilometres of the double-track railway has already been erected. The first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed by next year.
Also, a new Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (Nong Khai-Vientiane) is planned, which will run close (about 30 metres) to the existing one. Construction is scheduled to start in 2025 and to be completed by 2028. The new bridge will have four tracks: two for high-speed trains and two for standard trains.