KUALA LUMPUR – Transport Minister Anthony Loke says the ministry has no knowledge of a Brunei-based company’s proposal to start a Trans-Borneo Railway project, which was widely speculated about recently.
He said that, as far as the ministry was concerned, only the feasibility study of the project was currently underway and nothing more.
“The ministry still hasn’t finalised the tender for the project, nor have they been called.
“Based on the feasibility study, the tender process is expected to start by May this year.
“The feasibility study is expected to span approximately nine months, during which we will assess the project’s viability across various aspects, including commercial and technical feasibility,” he said.
Loke said if a private company was interested in doing the project, it should have engaged and gotten approval from Putrajaya and the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak first.
“However, we are not aware of any announcement made by the private company. Such a megaproject would only be valid if it had the approval of the Malaysian government as well as the Sabah and Sarawak state governments.
“But even the state governments had no idea about it,” he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 Transport Hub today.
On Saturday, Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd announced its coming high-speed rail project called the Trans-Borneo Railway, which will connect Kalimantan, Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah.
The Brunei-based company, announcing the project via its social media pages, said that the project aimed to enhance Borneo’s transportation infrastructure with a 1,620-km railway track.
The project will be conducted in two phases, with an average distance of approximately 150km between each station and an expected train operating speed of 300 to 350 km/h.
Yesterday, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the proposed railway would be an economic catalyst for the Borneo region.
He said once materialised, the project would be impactful to enhance people-to-people connectivity and boost the regional economy.
Hajiji said that last November, federal Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said his ministry had received a preliminary proposal on the Trans-Borneo Railway project. – April 1, 2024