NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Oct 10 – The government will propose this northeastern city to become the second Bangkok and develop it as the centre of transport to distribute wealth to the northeast.
Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt presided over the opening ceremony of Building Thailand’s Future in 2020 in Nakhon Ratchasima and spoke on the government’s Bt2 trillion infrastructure investment project.
He said the development of the transportation system is needed in order to facilitate those travelling to Nakhon Ratchasima, known as Korat, and other provinces.
As Korat is considered the gateway to the northeastern region and a link with neighbouring countries, Mr Chadchart said the province will potentially be seen as the second capital.
The key project of which changes will clearly be made in Korat in the next seven years is the change in transportation system from road to rail such as the future high-speed train from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, taking only 90 minutes for the journey.
A budget of Bt450 billion, from the Bt2 trillion overall development funds, will be set for investments in the northeast. The budget includes building a custom house, flyover bridges and tunnels.
The government strategy is to develop 20 provinces in the northeast for further urbanisation and connectivity to neighbouring countries once the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) takes effect in 2015.
