The Transport Ministry will submit the southern double-track rail project (534 km, Chumphon to Padang Besar) to a cabinet meeting in Songkhla on 1 September 2026. The first phase, about 504 km costing 106,798 million baht, is planned to start construction around July 2027, with the Hat Yai-Songkhla 30 km section deferred. Bidding terms and four civil-works contracts are next. For SMEs in the south, this is a medium-term opportunity in logistics, construction supply and border trade, not an action item this quarter.