Rail link to Kudat in 3 years

Kota Kinabalu: The State Government plans to upgrade the railway service and system in Sabah, including extending the route from the present Kota Kinabalu-Tenom to Kudat and other major towns in two to three years from now. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said this is among what the present State Government will do as part of the road map for Sabah.

"Rest assured, I will upgrade the railway service and system in Sabah in two to three years from now. Give us ample time, we can do that," he said, at the Youngpreneurs, Go! (YPGO) Programme organised by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Saturday.

"We may need to change railway tracks and the coaches. Presently we have railway services between Kota Kinabalu and Tenom, but there is none from Kota Kinabalu to other districts or towns and this is what we will look at...I am confident we can realise this," he said.

Mohd Shafie said railway service is the most important mode of transport in Sabah, as it is cheap and saves time because it is not affected by traffic jams and also the train can carry many tonnes of weight that would cause damage to the road if carried by lorries/trailers.

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"We want this connectivity from Kudat up to Kalabakan and Long Pasia in Sipitang. This must be done as part of the road map for Sabah...there are a lot that we will do and they are not just empty talk, because we will do our level best to realise it," he said.

In a press conference later, Mohd Shafie said the upgrading of the train service and system may be very costly but it does not have to be very sophisticated.

He said the current run does not link up to some the major districts or town, to enable some of the goods and services to reach the markets from here to there and vice versa.

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"We are going to make sure that the transportation services and system in Sabah will be looked at. I will ask that the Works Department and the EPU formulate a programme and mapping out a plan so that the State transportation services and system will not only depend on the Pan Borneo Highway.

"Railway services will definitely shorten transporting period for goods compared to using road which have to face traffic jams that may cause delays. Transporting of goods using highways also cause high road maintenance which will not be reduced if the goods are transported using train." - Larry Ralon

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