New town and railroad to boost Tenom income
Published on: Monday, April 01, 2019
By: Yayasan Dalimpos and Mail Mathew
TENOM: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the establishment of a new town in Melalap and reconstruction of the railroad can boost the living standard and the people’s economy here.
He said the creation of Melalap involves 300 acres to be turned into a new administration centre for the district, with the construction of government offices, police station, hospital, schools, religious houses and other facilities for the benefit of the people.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We will ensure development of the interior so that it can be justified for the benefit of rural people who want development.
“The creation of Melalap can spur the lives of the people and their economy in the interior, this is to address the hardship faced by the people due to distance from the city.
He said Pekan Melalap has its own unique charm of having a railway station built since the British era.
“We plan to restore that atmosphere, by reconstructing damaged parts of the railway,” he said in conjunction with ground breaking ceremony at the new town project site and the reconstruction of the Melalap-Tenom railway project, Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENT
He also announced the allocation of RM10 million for the 15km railway to bandar Tenom.
He noted that about 300 metres have been completed and in two or three years the process of replacing new carriages will be done. Some 1,000 Melalap residents near and far attended the ceremony.
ADVERTISEMENT
The last time a train used the Tenom-Melalap railway was in 1970 with a Sharyo 4203 train manufactured by Japan’s Nippon Sharyo Kaisya Company.
The 15-tonne train with 185 horsepower, functions as a regulator in arrangement of the carriage at any one time during service and is able to move backwards.
According to Shafie, the reconstruction of the railway, train station and the new Melalap town would reactivate Melalap as a logistic facility hub in addition to a train that can carry passengers’ as well agricultural products.
He said Tenom is unique as it has a train as a transportation alternative in Borneo, it also attracts foreign tourists.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
