Feasibility study of railroad infrastructure in Borneo?

Our railroad network in peninsular Malaysia has undergone a lot of transformation since the time when it was introduced for the first time in 19th century (Taiping – Kuala Sepetang Line, no longer exists today).

Apart from Electrified Double Tracking Project (EDTP), we have also made significant progress in railroad industry by having our own rolling stock (trainset) assembling plant, operated by CRRC Zhuzhou from China. Apart from job opportunities created, indirectly we are developing our own talents in railroad industry.

(1) The atmosphere is Borneo is a little bit different compared to Peninsular Malaysia. People in Borneo would like to have more autonomy in making decisions for their own state. Landslide victory of Adenan Satem in recent state election has enlightened us on their desire since Adenan is seen as a CM that fights for more autonomy for his people.

(2) Other than having control of their immigration system (it is illegal for non-residents of Sarawak to stay more than 90 days in the state without proper permit), issues were also raised by the CM about non-Sarawakian workforce of a local oil and gas company operating in Sarawak.

What does (1) and (2) has to do with railroad infrastructure? Well, due to (1) and (2), I think it is best if concerned citizens from Sarawak to carry out their own feasibility study of developing railroad infrastructure in the state. In my opinion, railroad enthusiasts from Peninsular will be more than glad to offer any kind of assistance required, subject to restrictions by the democratically-elected state government. Of note, Sabah already has its own railway, owned by its state government.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.