Rail Department pushes Chumphon-Ranong double-track railway worth nearly 30 billion baht
Macro
The Department of Rail Transport is accelerating the Chumphon-Ranong Port double-track railway project, also known as the Missing Link, worth 27.2875 billion baht, to connect the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman coasts. Mr. Pichet Kunathammarak, Director-General of the Department of Rail Transport, said the project is about 109 kilometres long, designed as a metre-gauge double-track railway with nine stations, supporting both container freight and tourism. Detailed design is complete, while the environmental impact assessment report is in its final stage and expected to be finished within two months. Contractor procurement is expected to begin in late 2027, with construction taking about three years. The Ministry of Transport has ordered the Port Authority of Thailand to immediately upgrade the existing Ranong deep-sea port, including installing cargo cranes, repairing equipment, and expanding the navigation channel to support full freight capacity. Once the project is completed, Ranong Port will become a western trade gateway, connecting to BIMSTEC countries and handling goods from southern China, western China, and Laos via Chiang Rai or Nong Khai into Thailand's rail network, directly to Ranong Port for export to the Indian Ocean.
