Chumphon-Ranong Land Bridge Seen As Feasible Alternative To Kra Canal

By Kenny Teng and Tuwadaniya Meringing

BANGKOK, June 11 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s proposed Chumphon-Ranong land bridge megaproject is increasingly being viewed as a more feasible option for southern Thailand, offering a viable alternative to the yet-to-be-realised Kra Canal.

The proposed 1 trillion baht (US$29 billion) land bridge megaproject is designed to link Chumphon Province on the Gulf of Thailand with Ranong Province on the Andaman Sea via a 120-kilometre corridor of highways and railways, and will be complemented by deep-sea ports at both ends. It is slated for completion by 2030.

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The land bridge project is also a key component of Thailand’s Southern Economic Corridor (SEC), a comprehensive development plan that aims to strategically position the region as the country’s logistic and maritime hub.

Thai political scientist Assoc Prof Panitan Wattanayagorn of Chulalongkorn University said the land bridge project appeared more practical considering the current economic situation.

He acknowledged that proposals such as the Kra Canal have long been discussed for their transformative potential, including revenue generation and positioning Thailand’s mid-southern region as a new riviera blending industry, transport and tourism.

“The land bridge is much more practical, with transportation networks already under construction,” he told Bernama.

“However, considering the current economic situation, the land bridge is far more feasible,” he added.

The Kra Canal, a proposed 102- to 135-kilometre waterway linking the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand, was approved by the Thai Senate in 2005 but has remained unrealised and repeatedly postponed due to its enormous costs, environmental concerns and geopolitical sensitivities.

Earlier this year, the Thai Canal Association for Study and Development urged the government to revisit the Kra Canal project through a new feasibility study, noting that its construction could create millions of jobs.

Piyachot Intranivas, a lecturer at Prince of Songkhla University, said that while the Kra Canal could potentially create significant economic opportunities for southern Thailand, he expressed doubts about the country’s capacity to finance and manage the project.

“The Thai government needs to stabilise its administration and secure sufficient funding before planning to approve such a megaproject,” he said.

--BERNAMA