Thailand continues to increase its transportation infrastructure in the southern region and vigorously promotes the construction of ultra long double track railway projects. This cross-border railway line directly leads to the Malaysian border, not only filling the gap in local railway capacity, but also optimizing flood control design in a targeted manner, comprehensively enhancing the regional cross-border trade and transportation security capabilities.

Clear and concise project overview

The Ministry of Transport of Thailand will submit to the Cabinet for approval of the first phase of the southern double track railway project on September 1st. The total investment of the project is 106.8 billion Thai baht, approximately 3.23 billion US dollars, with a total length of 504 kilometers, directly reaching the border of Padang Besar, Malaysia. The project is divided into three construction sections, including 168 kilometers from Chunpeng to Surat Thani, 291 kilometers from Surat Thani to Hat Yai, and 45 kilometers from Hat Yai to Padang Besar. It is divided into four civil engineering contract packages and is planned to start construction in July 2027 and be fully completed within six years. The originally planned 30 kilometer route from Hat Yai to Songkhla is temporarily not included in the first phase of construction, and will be evaluated and promoted based on actual needs in the future.

Empowering regional interconnectivity

The project focuses on addressing the issue of insufficient railway capacity in southern Thailand, connecting the two countries through a dual track railway channel, significantly improving passenger transport, tourism, border trade, and international freight efficiency, and reducing regional logistics costs. Keywords: Southern Thailand Railway, Cross border Connectivity

At the same time, the project has learned from the lessons of the southern flood in November 2025, optimized the design of the He'ai section, changed the 3-kilometer ground line to an elevated bridge, and adopted an embankment structure for the 2-kilometer line, effectively strengthening the railway's flood control and disaster resistance capabilities. After the project is implemented, it will deeply connect with the Thailand Malaysia railway network, improve the transportation layout in southern Thailand, and help upgrade the quality of cross-border economic and trade cooperation in Southeast Asia.Editor/Min Jing