Land Bridge push aims to put Thailand on global trade routes
Thailand says its Land Bridge plan can strengthen southern logistics, cut shipping time and reduce reliance on Malaysian ports
- Thailand is advancing a 90-kilometer "Land Bridge" megaproject to connect the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, aiming to bolster its position as a key logistics hub.
- The project is positioned as a strategic competitor to Malaysia's own Land Bridge, with Thai officials claiming their shorter route will save 2-2.5 days in shipping time and win back cargo from Malaysian ports.
- It is designed to integrate with Thailand's expanding rail network, creating a north-south logistics corridor for goods moving from southern China to international maritime routes.
- The government clarifies that its financial role is limited to land acquisition, with the majority of the nearly 1 trillion baht project cost expected to be funded by private sector investment.
Thailand is moving ahead with its long-debated Land Bridge project, with the government arguing that the plan offers a timely opportunity to strengthen the country’s logistics position and improve transport links between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
The project, formally designed as transport infrastructure to support the Southern Economic Corridor, is one of Thailand’s largest proposed megaprojects, with total investment value often cited at nearly 1 trillion baht.
It has also drawn criticism over investment viability and possible environmental impacts in the affected areas.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the government wanted to clarify public misunderstanding over state spending on the project.
He insisted that the government’s financial burden would be limited mainly to land expropriation.
According to Phiphat, the estimated state budget for land acquisition is around:
- 13 billion to 14 billion baht
- Covering land along both sides of the 90-kilometre route
- With construction plans including 12 tunnel sections
He said claims that the government would have to spend up to 1 trillion baht were not accurate, as construction investment and project operations would be handled by the private sector under a future joint-investment and feasibility framework.
The government sees the Land Bridge as a key logistics network linking Thailand’s transport system with international freight routes.
Phiphat said Thailand had already laid important rail foundations, including a completed double-track rail section from Bangkok to Chumphon.
Under the 2027 fiscal budget, the government plans to continue the double-track rail system from Chumphon to Surat Thani, Hat Yai and the Malaysian border, creating a full double-track line to support both domestic and cross-border cargo transport.
Phiphat said the current version of the Land Bridge was not simply about connecting the western and eastern coasts of the South. Instead, it would serve as a broader north-south logistics route, especially for containers from southern China.
Those goods could move through rail networks being developed towards Nong Khai, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, before being transported through the Land Bridge for onward maritime shipment to the Middle East and Europe.
The project is also aimed at winning back cargo market share.
At present, goods from southern Thailand are transported to Penang port in Malaysia at a volume of about 300,000 containers a year.
If the Land Bridge succeeds, Thailand would no longer need to rely on Penang and could use Ranong port as a hub for direct exports to China and India.
Phiphat also pointed to regional competition, saying Malaysia’s own Land Bridge route, connecting Port Klang with Kelantan, is expected to officially open next year. That route is about 640 kilometres long, compared with Thailand’s proposed 90-kilometre route.
He said Thailand’s route had an advantage in both time and cost.
Shipping through Malaysia’s route, such as from Port Klang to the Strait of Malacca or from Kelantan to Singapore, would take around one to one and a half days, while Thailand’s Land Bridge could shorten vessel travel time by around two to two and a half days.
Phiphat described the Thai Land Bridge as a geopolitical advantage, saying time savings and route efficiency were among the most important factors for global logistics operators.
