Putrajaya Approves Sarawak-Sabah-Kalimantan Mega-Railway Project

The Federal Works Ministry in Putrajaya has approved a plan to build a mega-railway connecting Sarawak to Sabah and, eventually, Kalimantan on Borneo Island, The Vibes reported.

Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Minister of Works, said his ministry had received a preliminary proposal for the Trans-Borneo Railway Project.

If built, the railway line will be the largest in Malaysia and one of the longest in Southeast Asia.

The emergence of Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara, in Kalimantan, would provide a massive economic benefit from the infrastructure. 

The Star reported in August that the Sabah state government has requested the construction of new railway lines to connect to Sabah's current railway network, spanning 82 kilometres from Beaufort to Sipitang and Lawas. According to an early estimate, the project will cost RM786 million.

According to Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, the idea for this mega-railway linking Sarawak and Sabah and eventually to connect to Kalimantan came from Transport Minister Datuk Anthony Loke.

“The federal government looks at this mega project favourably”

“That is why 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,” he said.

The minister also stated that the Indonesian government is already planning to relocate the country's capital from Jakarta to Nusantara in Kalimantan. As a result, enormous opportunities for trade links, social networks, and future economic and industrial investments in Sarawak and Sabah are created.

"Having a railway linking all three regions will definitely be meaningful as it will facilitate transportation of people, goods and cargoes en masse throughout Borneo," he added.