Southern transport projects worth B362.6bn set out

Southern transport projects worth about 362.6 billion baht are being pushed forward by the Transport Ministry, with a second phase of the southern double-track railway, the Phuket Expressway and an Andaman port plan on the list. Deputy Transport Minister Sanphet Bunyamanee set out the 14-project programme on Monday, 9 November, the Bangkok Post reported.

The minister said the aim was to speed up work so that freight and travel costs fall, provinces are better connected and local economies get a lift. For Phuket, which depends on a single road link to the mainland and on its airport, several items on the list could change how people and goods move around the Andaman coast.

Southern transport projects led by the railway

The largest single project is phase two of the southern double-track railway, costed at 106.8 billion baht. The cabinet approved it on 1 September, which allows the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to move ahead with three sections that together run for 504 kilometres:

• Chumphon to Surat Thani, 168 km, about 36.89 billion baht.
• Surat Thani to Hat Yai Junction, 291 km, about 61.53 billion baht.
• Hat Yai Junction to Padang Besar on the Malaysian border, 45 km, about 8.37 billion baht.

The SRT is getting ready to put the sections out to tender. Contracts are expected to be signed in 2027, and construction is scheduled to finish in 2033. A second track would let passenger and freight trains pass each other without long waits, a long-standing complaint on the single-line southern route. The plan also fits a wider push to link Thai rail with neighbouring networks, as seen in recent moves on rail links with Laos and China.

What is on the list for Phuket and the Andaman coast

Beyond the railway, the ministry's southern programme includes:

• The Andaman Ring Port development, covering Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi.
• The Phuket Expressway.
• The Hat Yai Ring Road.
• An expressway linking Koh Samui to the mainland.
• A mass transit system in Songkhla.

Mr Sanphet said these projects are at different stages. Some are still in feasibility studies, while others are going through approvals or construction planning. He did not give new start dates for the Phuket Expressway or the Andaman port scheme in Monday's briefing, so timelines for those remain open.

Phuket residents already know how much the island relies on the Sarasin Bridge and the roads behind it, and local transport has been changing in other ways too, such as the electric bus route from the airport to Rawai.

Two bridges close to construction

Two southern transport projects are nearly ready to start. One is a 4.6-billion-baht bridge across Songkhla Lake linking Songkhla and Phatthalung. The other is a 1.78-billion-baht bridge from the mainland to Koh Lanta in Krabi.

Contracts for both were signed on 31 August. The Department of Rural Roads plans to issue notices to proceed on 14 November. Work is expected to take about three years, with both bridges due to open in 2029.

According to the ministry, the Songkhla Lake bridge should shorten trips by about 80 km, cutting travel time from almost two hours to between 15 and 30 minutes. The Koh Lanta bridge will reduce the island's reliance on ferries, make access easier and help emergency medical teams reach residents faster. Visitors who now take the ferry from Phuket to Koh Lanta will still have sea options, but the road link should make the island far easier to reach by car.

Why it matters

Transport costs are a major issue for southern businesses, from rubber and palm oil growers to hotels that rely on steady deliveries. Better rail capacity could move more freight off the roads, while new bridges and expressways could ease the traffic jams that build up in tourist areas during the high season.

Mr Sanphet said the bridges respond to requests that local communities have made for years. In his words, people want more than plans; they want roads they can drive on, bridges they can cross and transport that actually improves their daily lives.

The ministry's full briefing was reported by the Bangkok Post. Phuket Times will follow the bidding schedule for the railway and any new dates for the Phuket Expressway.

Image: Hat Yai Junction railway station, a key stop on the double-track line covered by the southern transport projects. Photo by Fuwuyuan via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.