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Thailand TRANSPORTATION
Unavailable
Figure 11. Transportation System.
Thailand's transportation system of inland waterways,
railroads, and roads was centered on Bangkok
(see
fig. 11).
Historically, waterways had served to carry agricultural products
from the central plain to the capital for export or domestic
processing and to transport foreign or locally made goods back to
rural areas. In the 1980s, the railroads and roads radiating from
the city to all parts of the country served the same purpose.
Bangkok's accessibility through the Chao Phraya made it the chief
port for foreign oceanborne trade. Since World War II, Bangkok's
strategic location in Southeast Asia has made the city the
principal regional center for international air travel.
The existing system of main roads, railroads, and waterways
in the late 1980s was considered by foreign experts to be
generally adequate for the country's overall transport
requirements. Considerable upgrading of provincial roads would be
needed in the coming decade to handle growing traffic as
commercialization spread through the rural areas. In particular,
substantial improvement and development were required for
subsidiary roads to provide villages and hamlets access to the
main transport arteries.
Data as of September 1987
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