Skip to main content

Thailand expands transportation infrastructure

The Thai government is expanding its current transportation systems with plans for 55 transportation projects worth US$72 billion which are expected to be completed by 2020. Of the US$72 billion, 64 percent will be spent on 31 rail projects, 24 per cent on 13 road projects, 7 per cent for seven water transportation projects, and 4.75 per cent is for four air transportation projects. These projects are designed to make Thailand a crossroads for the ASEAN logistics network, enabling cities in the region to be
March 11, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The Thai government is expanding its current transportation systems with plans for 55 transportation projects worth US$72 billion which are expected to be completed by 2020. Of the US$72 billion, 64 percent will be spent on 31 rail projects, 24 per cent on 13 road projects, 7 per cent for seven water transportation projects, and 4.75 per cent is for four air transportation projects.

These projects are designed to make Thailand a crossroads for the ASEAN logistics network, enabling cities in the region to benefit from the improved transportation linkage between Thailand and its neighbours and between ASEAN members, reducing logistics costs and promoting tourism within the region.

The road links are expected to boost border trade, of which for the first three quarters of 2012 were valued at US$ 22.7 billion, while new investments in rail projects are designed to reduce logistic costs and minimise transportation time.

The Thai government will also be issuing tenders for four high speed train routes, which it says will help reduce commuters’ travel time, lower the cost of transporting goods, and improve the environment by reducing pollution and energy consumption. In Bangkok, where new roads cannot be built, electric train routes will be expanded from the current 40 kilometres to 468.8 kilometres.

The government is planning to finance the projects through revenue from state enterprises, fifty per cent through government revenue, 32 per cent through state owned enterprises and loans, and eighteen per cent through public and private investment.  Thailand’s minister of transport, Chadchart Sittipunt wants to make this national transportation expansion project a national agenda and turn it into contingency plan which will be continued by successive governments.

The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) is aware of the importance of expanding Thailand transportation infrastructure and its impact on the development of Thailand, and has pledged to support logistic and infrastructure investment project by offering tax incentives and other benefits for projects involving transportation infrastructure.

Related Content

  • Intelligent transportation system (ITS) market worth US$63.66 Billion by 2022
    July 15, 2016
    According to a new market research report, Intelligent Transportation System Market by Roadway (Hardware, Software, & Services), Aviation Tool (Kiosk, Multi-User Flight Information Display, and Smart Gate System), Railway, Maritime, Protocol, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the ITS market size, in terms of value, is expected to grow from US436.10 billion in 2015 to US$63.66 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 8.3 per cent between 2016 and 2022. The major g
  • Promoting cycling is the solution to congestion and pollution
    August 20, 2015
    Cycling offers health, air quality and road space/parking benefits, promoting governments and the EU to look at tax and technology initiatives. David Crawford reports. One way to improve urban air quality is to make green alternatives to car use financially attractive. Incentivising employees to switch their travel-to-work mode to using their own bikes could increase cycling’s modal share of commuting travel by 50%, a recent French research project suggests. The country’s government already subsidises pu
  • China leads the way in road, railway projects investment in Asia-Pacific
    July 30, 2015
    According to a new report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Center (CIC), the major economies in Asia-Pacific are investing over US$2.86 trillion in road and railway projects in the coming years. China - as the leading economy - heads the 13 countries analysed by CIC with projects valued at over US$1.15 trillion, followed by India at almost US$500 billion and Australia with US$289 billion. China, apart from investing within its own borders, is also expanding its influence in the region with the re
  • Transport MEPs set out steps to achieve transport roadmap goals
    July 15, 2015
    To ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of EU transport, concrete measures are still needed, said MEPs in a report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) this week and intended to feed into the Commission review of the 2011 White Paper on Transport. Further efforts to boost air, road, rail and maritime transport, reduce road injuries and close loopholes in passenger rights legislation should be made, they add. The transport sector is a driving force of the EU economy and should