Thailand Revives $30 Billion Land Bridge as Hormuz Closure Exposes Chokepoint Risks
Updated
Updated · mediaselangor.com · Jun 18
Thailand Revives $30 Billion Land Bridge as Hormuz Closure Exposes Chokepoint Risks
2 articles · Updated · mediaselangor.com · Jun 18
Summary
Thailand has revived its 1 trillion baht land-bridge plan linking new deep-sea ports at Ranong and Chumphon, recasting it as a strategic alternative after the Iran war and Hormuz Strait closure.
Government projections say the 90 km rail corridor could cut logistics costs by nearly 30% and shave up to 14 days off cargo moving between southern China and Indian Ocean ports.
Analysts and officials say the project is more likely to work as a smaller feeder-cargo route than a true rival to the 900 km Melaka Strait because containers must be unloaded, moved overland and reloaded.
Investor backing remains tentative, with financing expected from a private consortium, while Thailand also faces geopolitical sensitivities over any major Chinese role.
Local resistance is widening along fishing and farming communities, and regulators this month ordered a fresh environmental and health impact assessment, adding another hurdle to a project stalled in various forms for two decades.