Thailand’s northern capital city of Chiang Mai, the hometown of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is to get a major upgrade in the quality of its infrastructure and accelerate its transformation into a regional transportation hub for the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Chiang Mai University’s Information Technology Service Institute has been contracted to draw up 5-year, 10-year and 15-year plans for the city’s transportation systems.
The plans particularly will seek to address transportation issues surrounding some of the city’s major tourist attractions, including the Night Safari, the upcoming International Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the Centre for the Development and Distribution of SME products.
They are expected to include the construction of a light rail system linking government offices and Mae Hia, the location of the Night Safari, to the city centre. They will also cover transportation networks across the northern region and in the Mekong sub-region.