Thai PM set to push transport megaprojects in Northeast Thailand
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is pushing for transport megaprojects in the Northeast to coincide with a mobile cabinet meeting in Nakhon Phanom on Tuesday.
The push comes ahead of Ms Paetongtarn’s visit to the region on Monday as the government also mulls transport plans in Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan provinces to transform the region into a key economic and tourism hub along the Mekong River.
The prime minister’s trip will focus on cross-border trade, water resource management, sustainable development initiatives and drug suppression efforts along the Mekong River, said government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub.
The megaproject plans include increasing flights to Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon airports and completing an environmental study for Mukdahan Airport, expected to finish by the end of this year.
Rail projects are also underway, notably the new 355km double-track railway on Ban Phai-Mukdahan-Phanom section, scheduled to open by 2028.
Future railway extensions on the Udon Thani-Sakon Nakhon-Nakhon Phanom, Nong Khai-Bueng Kan-Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan-Amnat Charoen-Ubon Ratchathani sections are also being considered.
In addition, a border cargo centre in Nakhon Phanom is set to open this year, linking transport networks between Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and southern China via the R12 route.
On road transport, more than 20 new projects are being developed to strengthen links between the provinces and neighbouring countries.
Mr Jirayu said the government aims to promote secondary cities like Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon and Mukdahan as top destinations, boosting year-round tourism and local economies.
Efforts to improve public health in upper northeast are also underway with the opening of the Faculty of Medicine at Nakhon Phanom University to address the region’s shortage of doctors.
The premier’s visit on Tuesday will include Don Koen Park in Muang district of Sakon Nakhon to review a major water rehabilitation project and a visit to the handicraft centre in Nawa district of Nakhon Phanom promoting a “sustainable fashion” model.
She will later chair a meeting on cross-border drug trafficking at the navy’s Mekong Riverine Unit before attending a cultural ceremony along the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3012437/pm-set-to-push-transport-megaprojects
