Thailand approves 106bn southern rail and disaster insurance

Prachachat•Politics•4d ago

Reader Briefing

The Cabinet approved over 106 billion baht for southern double-track railway projects and a 15.5 billion baht national disaster insurance scheme.

•The Cabinet approved three southern double-track rail projects totaling 106,798.32 million baht.
•A national disaster insurance project for 30 million households was approved with a budget of 15,500 million baht.
•The government approved a 5-year rail technology strategy with 35 projects totaling 8,677 million baht.
•Low-interest loans totaling 4,000 million baht were approved via Government Savings Bank for flood recovery and new entrepreneurs.

•The Cabinet approved a budget of 106,798.32 million baht for the State Railway of Thailand to construct three southern double-track rail lines.
•The rail projects include Chumphon–Surat Thani (due 2032), Surat Thani–Hat Yai Junction (due 2033), and Hat Yai Junction–Padang Besar (due 2031).
•The Cabinet approved a 15,500 million baht annual budget to provide disaster insurance for 30 million households covering floods, windstorms, and earthquakes.
•The Cabinet approved the construction of a second Hat Yai Hospital with a budget of 250 million baht and a temporary disaster center costing 142 million baht.
•Government Savings Bank will provide low-interest loans of 4,000 million baht over 5 years at an interest rate of 1.5%.
•The State Railway of Thailand is expected to complete the rail design by January 2027 before proceeding with Environmental Impact Assessment reports.
•The Ministry of Transport is developing Motorway M8 from Nakhon Pathom to Pranburi, with plans to extend the route to Songkhla and Narathiwat.
•The southern double-track rail is intended to link logistics from Southern China through Laos, accelerate durian exports to China, and lower costs for exports to the Indian Ocean via Malaysia.

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Cabinet(ครม.)

The government body that approved the southern investment budget and disaster insurance projects.

State Railway of Thailand(การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️

The agency responsible for constructing the approved double-track railway projects.

Government Savings Bank(ธนาคารออมสิน)

The bank tasked with providing low-interest loans for flood recovery and new entrepreneurs.

Board of Investment(คณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุน)

The agency expanding investment promotion measures in the area for another 3 years.

Rail Technology Research and Development Institute(สถาบันวิจัยและพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีระบบราง)

The public organization that prepared the national rail technology strategy 2028–2032.

Anutin Charnvirakul(อนุทิน ชาญวีรกูล)ℹ️

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior who announced the Cabinet's urgent solutions in four dimensions.

Ekniti Nitithanprapas(เอกนิติ นิติฑัณฑ์ประภาศ)ℹ️

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance who announced the low-interest loan approval.

Piphat Ratchakitprakarn(พิพัฒน์ รัชกิจประการ)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport who discussed rail and motorway developments.

Songkhla(สงขลา)ℹ️

The province where the Cabinet meeting was held and a destination point for the planned motorway.

Narathiwat(นราธิวาส)ℹ️

The province where the planned motorway extension will reach.

Chumphon(ชุมพร)ℹ️

The starting point of one of the approved double-track rail segments.

Surat Thani(สุราษฎร์ธานี)ℹ️

A location in the approved southern double-track rail segments.

Padang Besar(ปาดังเบซาร์)

The endpoint of the rail segment starting from Hat Yai Junction.

National Rail Technology Strategy 2028–2032(ยุทธศาสตร์ด้านเทคโนโลยีระบบรางของประเทศ พ.ศ.2571 – 2575)

A strategy consisting of 35 projects to reduce reliance on foreign rail technology.