There has been no official discussion at the government level on a Trans Borneo Railway in which Malaysian media recently reported that a cross-border rail study will begin this year, said Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha during the 20th session of the Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting yesterday.
He said this in response to a query from LegCo member Yang Berhormat Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin on the news agency’s report.
He added, “Even though there has been no official discussion at government level about it, at the ASEAN level, there is an ASEAN Railway SubWorking Group which discusses matters related to railway connectivity within ASEAN so this matter may be raised in the future.”
The minister said his ministry is aware of the aspirations of the companies to provide train services within Borneo but it still requires further study, especially in terms of feasibility, investment, liability and commitment from interested parties including commitment at the government level. – Azlan Othman
