Trans Borneo Railway project hasn’t been offered to any party, says transport minister

• Minister of Transport Anthony Loke: The Trans Borneo Railway project is currently just a proposal, and this year, the government will implement a feasibility study.  The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has yet to finalise the tender documents, and the tender for the feasibility study has not yet been offered.

SEPANG (April 1): The high-speed rail network connecting Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan, Indonesia, known as the Trans Borneo Railway project, is still a proposal and has not been offered to any company, said Minister of Transport Anthony Loke (pictured).

He said the tender to conduct feasibility studies for the project will only be opened in May.

“The Trans Borneo Railway project is currently just a proposal, and this year, the government will implement a feasibility study.  The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has yet to finalise the tender documents, and the tender for the feasibility study has not yet been offered.

“We expect the feasibility study to take nine months, then only we will know if the project could be implemented or not in terms of the commercial, technical and other aspects,” he told reporters after the upgraded transportation hub launching ceremony at Terminal 2 of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, here on Monday.

He advised all parties to be cautious about any announcements by private companies regarding major projects, adding that any mega projects are only considered valid if the government announces them.

“If they (private company from Brunei) say they want to build a railway track in Sabah and Sarawak, they certainly need approval from the Malaysian government as well as the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak. So far, there has been no such approval, and we have never negotiated with this company.

“So, I would like to advise that any statements or news like this must be verified first because this is confusing the public,” he added.

Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd, a company based in Brunei, claimed that it would implement the project in two phases, worth some US$70 billion (RM330 billion) and involving a route spanning over 1,600 kilometres with trains capable of reaching speeds up to 350km per hour.

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