India-Thailand highway: Manipur to Myanmar by bus, Kolkata-Bangkok travel time cut; Gadkari gives big update

As the country continues to marvel over the newly constructed Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, a new venture by the Road Ministry will allow you to have a smooth drive from Kolkata to Bangkok, through the newly announced India-Thailand highway.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, while speaking to the media, said that the majority of the construction of the India-Thailad-Myanmar trilateral highway is now complete, but did not announce any date as to which it will be open for tourists.

The construction of the India-Thailand-Myanmar highway is aimed at improving and smoothing out the trade between the three countries, but this doesn’t mean that travellers won’t be allowed on this route, allowing them to take a quick and affordable getaway.

The India-Thailand Highway will allow a person to directly travel from Kolkata to Bangkok, majorly cutting down the travel time and providing a cheaper alternative to expensive air travel. The length of this trilateral highway is over 1360 km, according to the ministry.

Thailand envoy Pattarat Hongton told ANI, “Trilateral highway between India, Myanmar, and Thailand is currently under construction. The construction of the road is complete from Thailand to Myanmar.”

Not only this, but India also has plans to extend this ongoing highway construction to places such as Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other nearby Asian countries. As per news reports, this connectivity will generate annually, an estimated US$70 billion in incremental GDP and 20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025.

However, it is likely that the government will start several transport services on this route, such as Manipur to Myanmar by bus services, as well as train. It is expected that the highway will be completed by 2027.