Govt to hold off 1tn-baht Land Bridge over viability: Anutin

Thailand will hold off on the 1-trillion-baht Chumphon–Ranong Land Bridge because current cargo volumes do not yet justify investment on that scale, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said, while the government develops a smaller transport “missing link” and expands Ranong Port.

Speaking in Ranong, Anutin indicated that the larger project had not been permanently abandoned but should be reconsidered only when demand made it economically worthwhile.

“There is no need to proceed for now. That is fine because it is not yet worthwhile. We can discuss it again when it becomes worthwhile,” he said.

Smaller link to connect Thailand’s two coasts

The immediate plan will focus on completing a gap in the transport network between the Andaman coast and the Gulf of Thailand.

Anutin said officials used the technical term “missing link” when discussing national development and transport planning. Ranong could help create this cross-peninsula connection through links with Chumphon and Surat Thani, he added.

The government also plans to develop Ranong Port so that it can play a more important role and handle greater volumes of goods and containers.

Current cargo volumes do not warrant infrastructure on the scale of the full Land Bridge, Anutin said, but investment should begin gradually to lay the foundations for possible expansion.

Ranong Port could support new trade routes

Anutin outlined a longer-term vision in which goods arriving from Europe could enter Thailand through Ranong and travel through the South, towards the North and along the country’s western side without passing through Bangkok, before continuing towards China.

Thai goods could also be shipped through Ranong to India, the Middle East and Europe, he said.

“The framework is already in place, and the studies have been completed,” Anutin said. “If expansion becomes necessary, whatever form it takes, we are ready to proceed.”

His comments suggest the government intends to preserve the project’s studies and broader development framework while initially investing in infrastructure that can be matched to present demand.

Local opinion to shape future expansion

Anutin also addressed opposition to the Land Bridge, saying people in Ranong and Chumphon should consider whether the project would bring benefits to their communities.

He expressed concern that some people opposing the project might not live in the affected area and encouraged residents to make their views known if they believed the development could benefit them.

“If people in Ranong, Chumphon and neighbouring provinces say they do not want it under any circumstances, then we will not build it,” he said.

“But if an opportunity comes and we reject it, I believe people in Ranong, Chumphon and the South would not want to let that opportunity pass.”

Anutin said the government would listen to the public as a whole and assess what would be best for both Thailand and Ranong.

“For Ranong today, there will be no loss-making investment,” he said. “There will be a complete and integrated transport network, and we can then gradually assess how it should be expanded in the future.”