DIGIVESTASI - Kalimantan will be connected by an express rail network called the Trans Borneo Railway (TBR). This project will also connect three countries: Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The company working on this project is Brunergy Urama Sdn Bhd. Brunergy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brunei Darussalam, which focuses on developing large-scale infrastructure projects to support the growth of Kalimantan.

In a press release quoted by CNBC Indonesia, TBR said the project will be built in two stages, with a distance of 1,620 kilometers (km) and an average distance between stations of 150 km. Trains travel at speeds of 300-350 km/h and the journey takes an average of 30 minutes.

The proposal states that the Trans Kalimantan Railway project will be divided into two stages. The first phase of development will include Kota Kinabalu, Kimanis / Papar, Beaufort Sipitan, Lawas, Bangal, Limbang, Bukit Panggal, Miri, Bintulu, Sibu Seri Aman, Kuching, Sambath, Singkawan, Memphawa and Pontianak.

The second phase will cover North and East Kalimantan, connecting the main route to Kalimantan's largest city, Samarinda, and Indonesia's future capital, Nusantara. The second phase of line construction includes the route from Bukit Panggal (Brunei) to Long Sridan, Ba Kelalan, Long Bawang, Malinau, Tanjung Serol, Tanjung Gredev, Pengadan, Lubuk Tutung, Bontang, Samarinda, including stations up to Balikpapan.

The total investment required is US$70 billion or RM330 billion. If converted, this amounts to approximately IDR 1.114 trillion (exchange rate: IDR 15.925/USD).

The project caused a stir not only among President Joko Widodo and Indonesian government officials, but also in Malaysia. They said:

President Joko Widodo

President Joko Widodo finally commented on the project. Jokowi revealed that he was already aware of the project.

"Not yet, but I know it has been planned for a long time," Jokowi said when asked whether the project plan had been communicated to the Indonesian government, Wednesday (3/4/2024).

Minister of Transportation

Department of Transportation Director of Railways Rizal Wasal also commented on the project. He too had heard about the plan.

But Risal said the project was just a plan or idea. "This is a proposal. We just have an idea and implement it. Operators in Brunei and Malaysia want to build high-speed trains." "There has been no coordination between Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia, they are just talking," Rizal said after the Ministry of Transportation's Lebaran Transport Post, Wednesday (3/4/2024).

The Indonesian government has yet to confirm its involvement in a major high-speed rail project with neighboring countries, but has confirmed that rail facilities will be built at IKN.

"In IKN, studies are being carried out on airport trains, city trains, and inter-city trains, all of which are being carried out in stages, but currently it is still in the feasibility study stage to determine the route to enter IKN," Rizal said.

KAI President Director Didierk Hartancho

Didierk Hartancho, President and Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), commented on the Brunei Darussalam company's Trans Borneo Railway (TBR) development plan. According to him, there have been no talks with the company so far. "Not yet," Didierk said on Wednesday (March 4, 2024) at the Parliament Building.

"It's still too early," he continued. However, Didierk said his party did not rule out the possibility of collaboration if Burnagy Utama SDN BHD materialized. We are serious about this project. "Well, if it is good for Indonesia, we will expand (cooperation opportunities)," said Didierk.

Malaysia's Transportation Minister

The Malaysian government claimed to be unaware of the Brunei-based company's proposal to open the Trans Borneo Railway (TBR), a high-speed rail network connecting Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei with the archipelago capital, Indonesia.

Transport Minister Lok Siu Phuc said the federal government has not yet approved the project and bids for a feasibility study of a similar proposal will only be launched in May. He said the feasibility study would take nine months.

"If we want to build a high-speed train in Sabah and Sarawak, we have to seek the approval of the governments of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak," Lok said on Wednesday (September 3) at KLIA Terminal 2. After confirming the Class A classification, he said: )-Terminal opening/April 2024), Malaysia's Daily Express reported.

"Until now, there is no agreement. In fact, we have never discussed this with the company," he continued.

Find more news and articles on Google News