KOTA KINABALU, March 31 – The proposed Trans Borneo Railway project linking Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan in Indonesia will be an economic catalyst to the Borneo region, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said once materialised the project will be impactful to enhance people-to-people connectivity and boosting the economy in the region.
“Economically, it will facilitate trade, promote growth of industries at the border areas and boost tourism in the Borneo region,” he said in a statement.
The statement mentioned that last November, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said his ministry had received a preliminary proposal on the Trans-Borneo Railway project .
Nanta said the idea for this mega-railway linking Sarawak and Sabah and eventually connecting to Kalimantan came from the Transport Ministry and the federal government had approved a financial allocation specifically to carry out a feasibility ground study on the Trans-Borneo Railway routes involving the Sarawak-Sabah side.
The statement also mentioned Brunei-based Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd announced it would be embarking on the Trans Borneo Railway project, which it proposed to be implemented in two phases involving routes spanning 1,620 kilometres.
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.
