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Thailand TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: Main lines (4,000 kilometers of track)
originating in Bangkok run to national borders with Malaysia in
south, Cambodia in east, and Laos in northeast; a northern line
goes to Chiang Mai. Railroads remained important in 1987 for
transport of bulk commodities and passengers despite heavy
inroads by truck and bus transport.
Roads: Primary network of national highways (20,000
kilometers), more than 90 percent paved. Secondary system of
provincial roads (more than 24,000 kilometers)--many impassable
in rainy season--tie provincial towns and population centers to
national highway system. Village roads, tracks, and footpaths
totaled between 40,000 and 60,000 kilometers. Motor vehicles
registered in 1984 included 688,000 automobiles; (most in Bangkok
metropolitan area), 600,000 commercial vehicles, and nearly 2
million motorcycles.
Inland Waterways: Extensive network of waterways formed
by rivers and canals of central plain and Chao Phraya Delta carry
passengers and extensive quantities of rice and other freight.
Navigable by barge to Uttaradit in rainy season and to Nakhon
Sawan in dry season.
Maritime Shipping: Bangkok, preeminent port, handled
about 98 percent of imports, 65 percent of exports, and about 40
percent of coastal traffic in the mid-1980s. Some thirty small
ports along Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea. Merchant fleet in
international service in 1985 totaled about 100 freighters,
tankers, and bulk carriers. Unknown number of small coastal craft
supported trade with Malaysia and Singapore.
Civil Aviation: Domestic air service to about twenty
cities and towns throughout country and also flights to Penang,
Vientiane, and Hanoi in late 1980s. International service
provided by Thai Airways International (THAI) from Bangkok and
Chiang Mai to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North America, and
Australia. About forty international airlines also served
Thailand. Bangkok main air traffic center for Asia-Europe
flights.
Telecommunications: By mid-1980s about 560,000
telephones (70 percent located in Bangkok), 275 radio stations,
nearly 8 million radio receivers, 9 television stations (all
color), and more than 3 million television sets.
Data as of September 1987
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