Thailand delays massive Land Bridge project for environmental review
Thailand delays massive Land Bridge project for environmental review
Updated at: June 7, 2026 at 06:01 AM
Thailand’s ambitious Land Bridge project, a massive effort to connect the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, has faced a major setback.
In June 2026, regulators ordered new Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) studies for the project's proposed deep-sea ports in Ranong and Chumphon.
The review committee concluded that previous reports were insufficient, citing significant inaccuracies regarding marine life density and concerns over ecosystem damage.
The Land Bridge, estimated to cost 1 trillion baht, intends to create a 90-kilometer corridor of highways, railways, and ports to bypass the congested Strait of Malacca.
While the government promotes this as a way to establish Thailand as a regional logistics hub, critics argue the project is economically unfeasible.
Furthermore, local communities and environmentalists remain deeply concerned about the potential destruction of coral reefs and mangroves.
As a high-level committee reviews the project’s overall viability, the recent EHIA rejection highlights the difficult gap between Thailand's economic dreams and the reality of technical and environmental challenges.
