Photo: Suriya Juangroongruangkit
The Ministry of Transport is drafting the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) bill, to support the construction and operation of the Pheu Thai party’s ambitious ‘land bridge’ mega project.
When complete, the land bridge will reduce the voyage time and distance from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean by bypassing the Straits of Malacca.
Caretaker Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said yesterday that he expects the bill to become law in September next year, after it is approved by the cabinet, endorsed by parliament and granted royal assent.
Once the bill becomes law law, he said an SEC office will be established as the vehicle through which the multi-billion baht project will be implemented, adding that the office will be responsible for the design of the train system and motorway linking the ports on both sides of the southern isthmus.
An environmental and health impact assessment (EHIA) is expected to be completed next year, as will the issuance of the invitation for investor interest in the project, said Suriya.
Suriya also said that the ministry has set up a working panel, with the Dubai Port World Company, to lay the groundwork for the project, adding that this cooperation is not obligatory and does not mean that the company has been chosen to implement the project.
He said other countries, such as China or Japan, can also set up working panels with the Transport Ministry, if they wish to participate.
The Transport Ministry has estimated that the land bridge will reduce the time to ship cargo between the Indian and Pacific oceans by an average of four days and cut transport costs by 15%.
