Transport

Years of a governmental stalemate on transport investment appear to be over, after a decision by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to approve borrowing of more than $51bn for infrastructure. High-speed rail will be one major focus: plans call for four lines of several thousand kilometres total, although the project must still be approved by Parliament and pass through environmental impact assessment. Other investments include expansions of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and the deep-water port at Laem Chabang. The airport expansion will not come a moment too soon for Thailand’s crowded airspace, which has forced authorities to divert low-cost carriers to secondary airports.