Brunei Propose High-speed Train Line to Indonesia
- VIVA.co.id/Maryadi
Kalimantan – A Brunei-based infrastructure company has announced a proposal for the first fast train on the Borneo island that would connect Brunei with its two larger neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia. This high-speed train will pass new capital city, IKN Nusantara.
Brunergy Utama stated that they have submitted a proposal for the construction of a project known as the Trans Borneo Railway. This project has already been launched over the past weekend.
The project will span 1,620 kilometers from the west to the east side of Kalimantan, crossing three Southeast Asian countries on the island of Borneo: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam.
IKN Nusantara.
- VIVA.co.id/Arianti Widya
The first phase of this high-speed railway project will connect Pontianak, West Kalimantan, to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, the capitals of Sarawak and Sabah states in Malaysia, respectively. It will also link to the Tutong district in Brunei Darussalam, as well as the west and north coasts of the island.
The second phase will extend southward, connecting Tutong to North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan provinces, including the cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan.
"Then, the future capital of Indonesia (IKN Nusantara)," said Brunergy Utama as quoted on Thursday, as reported from Nikkei Asia site.
There will be four terminals serving as the main hubs of this high-speed rail network, with a total of 24 stations. The high-speed trains are planned to travel at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour.
The project is reported to cost US$70 billion or around IDR 1,115 trillion.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Minister of Works, Alexander Nanta Linggi, stated last November that his ministry had received the initial proposal for this project.
He said that the government has approved a specific financial allocation to conduct feasibility studies on the routes in Sabah and Sarawak.
However, Sarawak's Chief Minister, Abang Johari Openg, said that the Sarawak state government has not been formally approached by the Brunei-based company to start this project.
Meanwhile, Brunei's Minister of Transportation and Communications, Shamhary Mustapha, stated that the proposal has not been formally discussed by Government.
