Anutin says land bridge project frozen, not abandoned

The trillion-baht land bridge project has not been scrapped but has instead been put on hold and will be revived at the "right time," Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today.

The committee tasked with studying the project, chaired by Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, has proposed that the Cabinet shelve it because it is not economically feasible and carries a high risk of significant environmental impacts.

The prime minister said that, for now, the "missing link" project—to build a railway connecting Thailand's west coast in Ranong province with the national rail network and to upgrade the seaport in Ranong—will be given priority.

He added that he will discuss the full details of the "missing link" project with the finance minister, including whether the existing seaport in Ranong will be upgraded or a completely new one built.

Regarding the long-delayed high-speed rail project linking Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and U-Tapao international airports, Anutin said he will discuss the project with Eastern Economic Corridor Secretary-General Chula Sukmanop.

He insisted that the project is still going ahead and has not been scrapped, noting that the consent of all parties involved would be required to terminate the contract. He added that the government is not at fault for any breach of contract.

The 220-billion-baht contract for the high-speed rail project was signed between the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Asia Era One, a consortium led by the CP Group.