Thailand is working on a string of mega transportation projects which will improve domestic and international connectivity.
Five high-speed train projects, under collaborations with China, are being studied. Ministry of Transport permanent secretary Supoj Suplom said the 250kmph high-speed train ride from Kunming has the potential to “reach Bangkok within 10 hours over a 1,400km distance.”
He added that by end-2012, domestic rail links would also serve at a speed of 100kmph, up from the current 60kmph, as more bridges over rail crossings were completed.
Scheduled to be completed during the same period are two new bridges over the Mekong River connecting Laos and a second port in Chiang Rai linking China, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
The Thai government has also recently approved a 60 billion baht (US$1.99 billion) phase II development of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to expand its annual capacity from 45 million to 60 million passengers. This is slated for completion in 2016.
