SABAH Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has welcomed reports of the proposed Trans-Borneo Railway project that will link Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan, saying it will be a boon to Borneo.
“Once materialised, the project will be impactful to enhance people-to-people connectivity and economically, it will facilitate trade, promote growth of industries at the border areas and boost tourism in the Borneo region,” he said in Kota Kinabalu, today.
Federal Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said his ministry had since received a preliminary proposal on the Trans-Borneo Railway Project.
Nanta said the idea for this mega-railway linking Sarawak and Sabah and connecting to Kalimantan came from the Transport Ministry.
He also said the federal government has approved a financial allocation to carry out a feasibility study on the Trans-Borneo Railway route involving the Sarawak-Sabah side.
The Trans-Borneo Railway plan made headlines in Sabah yesterday when local news outlets picked up its details from Brunei-based Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd.
The company announced it would be embarking on the high-speed bullet train network project which will deployed in two phases involving a 1,620km rail network across the Borneo island.
The first phase will connect cities from the west to the east coast, beginning in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and ending in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah while the second phase will involve North and East Kalimantan connecting the main route with Samarinda and to the new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara.
At present, only Sabah has an existing railway line connecting Kota Kinabalu to Tenom, which is near Sipitang, a district close to the Brunei border. – The Vibes, March 31, 2024.
