Thailand Halts New Transport Ministry Building, Opts to Lease Instead

The Cabinet has approved a review of an October 2025 Cabinet resolution, canceling construction of a new Transport Ministry headquarters with a combined budget of over 3.5 billion baht and directing the ministry to lease office space instead. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytale Laksameesangjun revealed that the Cabinet voted on October 14, 2025, to cancel only the construction costs for the new Transport Ministry office building, which was budgeted at 3,448.80 million baht for fiscal years 2569–2571, as well as the project supervision costs of 103.46 million baht, as submitted by the Transport Ministry.

The Transport Ministry Permanent Secretary's Office had originally been allocated 3,448.80 million baht in the 2569 budget for construction of the new Transport Ministry building and 103.46 million baht for construction supervision, with implementation planned across fiscal years 2569–2571.

The deputy spokesperson explained that the primary reason for the change is the conflict situation in the Middle East, which has impacted global energy security and stability. Thailand, which relies heavily on energy imports, has been affected by rising energy costs and production expenses, which have driven up prices for goods and services, increased living costs for the public, and raised production input costs for agriculture and industry.

Given these circumstances, the government must urgently implement relief measures for citizens, farmers, and businesses affected by the energy crisis. As part of the 2570 budget framework, the Prime Minister has instructed government agencies to defer construction of new office buildings and to prioritize leasing instead. The Transport Ministry has adopted this policy by canceling the construction project and supervision costs.

However, to ensure that transport and logistics operations continue efficiently, the Transport Ministry still needs additional office space to support its departments, the Permanent Secretary's Office, and the Minister's Office.

In the short term, the Transport Ministry will expedite leasing of buildings for temporary office use. Long-term, it will redesign the new office building project—for which designs already exist—changing it from a construction model to a leasing arrangement, with a real estate development agency taking over implementation.

The Cabinet instructed the Transport Ministry to consider input from the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council and report back. Absent any objections or further comments, the decision will stand as approved.