Sarawak to prioritise Bintulu-Samalaju rail link under Trans-Borneo Railway plan

KUCHING (May 30): The Sarawak government will prioritise the proposed Bintulu-Samalaju railway alignment as the first phase of the state’s rail development, given the area’s rapid industrial growth and high volume of cargo movement.

Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the proposed rail project forms part of the broader Trans-Borneo Railway initiative involving Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

He said the study is currently being undertaken by the federal Economic Planning Unit (EPU), with Malaysia first focusing on the alignment within its own territory, covering Sarawak and Sabah.

“For us, once the alignment has been identified, we will start building the railway from Bintulu to Samalaju.

“Within that alignment, this is still being discussed under both the federal and state studies, and it will require support,” he told reporters after officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Malaysian Scout Association Sarawak Branch headquarters at Batu Lintang here.

Abang Johari said the Bintulu-Samalaju section is being prioritised due to its strategic role as a low-carbon industrial cluster and the significant cargo traffic between Bintulu Port and Samalaju Port, including routes through Kidurong.

“Because Samalaju and Bintulu are being developed as a low-carbon industrial cluster, we feel it is appropriate to develop a railway there,” he said.

He revealed that he had initially considered proposing the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system for the area, but findings from the federal study and the local terrain had instead favoured railway development.

“However, due to the landscape and the findings of the federal study, the proposal leans towards a railway system, so we will follow that direction,” he said.

When asked whether the railway network would eventually extend southwards to connect Kuching with Bintulu and Miri, Abang Johari said this would depend on the national alignment and would have to be implemented in stages.

“We will look at the national alignment, but let us do it in stages because the cost of building a railway is quite high,” he said.

On whether Sarawak’s future railway system would utilise hydrogen-powered or conventional technology, he said it was still too early to make a decision, as the immediate focus remained on improving cargo logistics in Bintulu.

“That is still too early to decide. Let us focus on Bintulu first because we also have a lot of cargo movement between Bintulu Port and Samalaju Port,” he said.

Abang Johari also noted that Malaysia would need to continue discussions with Indonesia, as the wider railway alignment could potentially be linked to Kalimantan.

“Let the Malaysian government negotiate with Indonesia first, and perhaps we can connect with Kalimantan,” he said.

On the possibility of adopting hydrogen-powered railway technology in the future, he said advances in production technology have made hydrogen increasingly competitive with diesel and other fossil fuels.

He said that if production costs continue to decline, hydrogen could become a viable option for Sarawak’s railway system.

“If production technology continues to improve and costs come down, then we may have suitable hydrogen technology for our railway.

“I think the cost per kilogramme of hydrogen may eventually be slightly cheaper than fossil fuels.

“At the beginning, it was indeed expensive, and there was a lot of criticism, but based on the current situation, I believe it can be accepted,” he said.