PUBLISHED: 4 May 2025 at 06: 06
According to Transport Minister Suriya Juengrunreangkit, the authorities is collaborating with Malaysia to improve equipment and increase cross-border connection, with an emphasis on connecting rails and roads.
On Friday, he met Anthony Loke, a Malay rival, in Bangkok to meet him, and the two ministers discussed ways to improve the transfer networks between the two nations to facilitate faster and more secure travel and freight.
Following that, according to Mr. Suriya, the meeting’s main outcomes included a decision to quicken two memorandums of understanding regarding cross-border transportation, one for passengers and one for goods.
By July, the main objectives are to sign both MoUs to promote economic growth, address issues involving transport transportation, and facilitate citizens ‘ vacation.
Additionally, the ministers supported using Asean mechanisms to link modern driving license databases to international driving permits.
Regarding bridge transportation, Mr. Suriya claimed that he and Mr. Anthony discussed reviving the coach line between Rantau Panjang in Malaysia and Sungai Kolok depot in Thailand’s Narathiwat state.
The KTMB-SRT Joint Conference will serve as a tool for the State Railway of Thailand and Keretapi Tanah Melayu in establishing a schedule for the resume of service.
Mr. Suriya said this action is in line with the Malaysian East Coast Rail Link initiative, which is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026, and aims to recover old cross-border transportation links.
He added that in July, Thailand and Malaysia will restart a coach route between Butterworth and Bangkok in the state of Penang. The SRT discontinued its express train services between Bangkok and Butterworth in 2016, with the way now ending at Padang Besar depot in Songkla’s Sadao area, a frontier train station shared by the two nations.
The resurrected activity will be a significant step in the development of the relationship between the two nations, according to Mr. Suriya.
Additionally, both parties discussed ease of moving global rail cargo, with one side advocating for a second window inspection system at the entry point to shorten the length of cargo inspections.
Mr. Anthony’s visit to Thailand, which was scheduled no longer after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra made the trip last month, is expected to show how eager both nations are to advance their political ties and diplomatic assistance.
The debate is one of the best opportunities for both countries to swap ideas while making plans for more assistance in the future, according to Mr. Suriya.