“Transport Minister Anthony Loke clarifies its status and warns against unverified private initiatives. Stay informed on this potential mega project.“
KUALA LUMPUR, 2nd Apr 2024 – Transport Minister Anthony Loke clarified that the Trans Borneo Railway project, linking Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan, Indonesia, remains a proposal and has not yet been tendered to any company.
He mentioned that the invitation to bid for carrying out feasibility assessments for the initiative will commence in May.
“The Trans Borneo Railway project is presently in the proposal stage, and this year, the government plans to initiate a feasibility study. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) is still in the process of finalizing the tender documents, and the tender for the feasibility study has not been issued yet.”
“We anticipate that the feasibility study will require nine months to complete. Only after its conclusion will we ascertain the feasibility of implementing the project, considering its commercial, technical, and other dimensions,” he informed journalists following the inauguration of the enhanced transportation hub at Terminal 2 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, held here on Monday.
He cautioned all stakeholders to exercise prudence regarding any declarations made by private enterprises concerning significant initiatives, emphasizing that only those mega projects announced by the government should be regarded as official.
“If a private company from Brunei expresses intentions to construct a railway in Sabah and Sarawak, they must obtain approval from the Malaysian government and the respective state governments. To date, there has been no such approval, and we have not engaged in discussions with this company.”
“Therefore, I urge that any statements or reports of this nature be verified beforehand to avoid confusion among the public,” he emphasized.
Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd, a Brunei-based company, asserted its plan to execute the project in two stages, valued at approximately US$70 billion (RM330 billion), and involving a route spanning over 1,600 kilometers, featuring trains with speeds reaching up to 350 kilometers per hour.
