Thailand readies 20 key transport projects for Cabinet approval
Twenty projects are being prepared for Cabinet approval, with further motorway, expressway and high-speed rail tenders also being accelerated.
- Thailand's Ministry of Transport is preparing to submit 20 key projects for Cabinet approval as part of a larger 2027 plan.
- The projects span all four transport modes, including road, rail, water, and air infrastructure.
- Key road projects include the eastern section of Bangkok's Ring Road No. 3 and expressways in Phuket and to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
- The list also features rail projects like the MRT Brown Line, airport expansions in Chiang Mai and Phuket, and a new cruise terminal on Ko Samui.
Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Transport, said the Ministry of Transport’s seminar covered all four transport modes, including road, rail, water and air.
A preliminary plan has been drawn up to advance 262 key projects in 2027, with a total investment of THB229.769 billion.
Of these, 20 are being prepared for submission to the Cabinet for approval.
They include Ring Road around Bangkok No. 3, eastern section, from Highway 305 to Highway 304. Other road projects include the Srinakarin to Suvarnabhumi Airport Expressway and Phase 2 of the Phuket Expressway Project, covering Mueang Mai, Ko Kaeo and Kathu.
The list also includes a large cruise terminal development project in the Ko Samui district, Surat Thani, Phase 1 of the Chiang Mai International Airport Development Project and Phase 2 of the Phuket International Airport Development Project.
Rail projects include the MRT Brown Line from Khae Rai to Lam Sali in Bueng Kum, the Southern Line double-track railway from Chumphon to Surat Thani, the double-track railway from Surat Thani to Songkhla and the double-track railway from Hat Yai to Padang Besar, among others.
Motorway and expressway tenders
At the same time, several other investment projects scheduled for 2027 are being accelerated, with tenders to be launched in 2026 or by the second quarter of 2027 at the latest.
These include the M5 intercity motorway extension from Rangsit to Bang Pa-in, the M9 intercity motorway covering the elevated Bang Khun Thian–Bang Bua Thong section and the Bang Bua Thong–Bang Pa-in section, the Phuket Expressway Project Phase 1 covering the Kathu–Patong section and Phase 2 of the Nakhon Ratchasima–Nong Khai high-speed railway, among others.
Rail fares and feeder links
Phiphat said progress was being made on a common-ticket system for urban rail, with fares of THB17–45 per journey and a single entry charge.
The measure is being prepared as a New Year's gift for the public.
The ministry has held talks with the Ministry of Finance and assigned Krungthai Bank to develop the back-office system for the transition from the Rabbit card system to EMV technology across all lines.
The target is to extend the common-ticket system to land transport by bus and water transport by boat by mid-2027.
The Department of Land Transport has been instructed to redesign bus routes once the BMTA has taken delivery of all 1,520 new buses between March and June 2027.
The revised routes will serve specifically as feeder services carrying passengers to stations on each urban rail line, reducing route duplication and shortening journeys.
Regarding the transfer of the Green and Gold lines from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, the government plans for the authority to manage the entire urban rail system under a single-ownership model.
This includes negotiations to transfer the Green Line project and its debt from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to the authority.
The arrangement would allow the state to control fares and compensate private operators efficiently for fare differences.
The government must first wait for the Green Line concession to expire in 2029 before management rights return to the state.
A preliminary estimate puts the budget needed to subsidise fare differences at about THB4.6 billion a year.
The Department of Rail Transport is preparing more definitive figures before submitting them to the ministry again.
Phiphat added that the THB40 flat-fare measure covering the full routes of the Red and Purple lines, which is due to expire in November 2026, would initially be extended for another year until October 2027.
Both lines would be exempt from the THB17–45 per journey urban rail fare.
The ministry will also accelerate efforts to increase capacity at major and regional airports to accommodate increasing numbers of passengers and tourists, as well as rising cargo volumes.
It will proceed with the Suvarnabhumi Airport master plan and advance the eastern passenger terminal expansion project, known as the East Expansion.
It will also accelerate the Don Mueang International Airport Development Project Phase 3, the Chiang Mai International Airport Development Project Phase 1 and Phuket International Airport Development Project Phase 2.
Runways will also be extended at the regional airports of Chumphon, Ranong, Trang, Phrae and Buriram.
For the next phase from 2028 to 2030, the Ministry of Transport will study and develop large projects intended to open up new economic areas.
These include Ring Road around Bangkok No. 3, the southern section, and the Thailand Riviera coastal tourism route along both the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman coasts.
These projects require substantial investment.
The Ministry of Transport will therefore consider additional off-budget funding sources, including fundraising from the private sector and capital markets through the Thailand Future Fund, or TFFIF.
It will also consider opportunities for private-sector participation through public–private partnership arrangements, or PPPs, so the projects can proceed as planned without relying solely on the government budget.
