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PRESIDENT Joko Widodo (Jokowi) spoke regarding the plans of a company from Brunei Darussalam, Brunergy Utama, which wants to build a high-speed train to connect Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and the Nusantara Capital region (IKN).
Jokowi said that until now there has been no communication regarding plans to build a high-speed train project across these 3 countries.
“There hasn’t been [any communication] but I know it already exists [a plan from the Brunei company], That was a long planning,” said Jokowi to journalists after releasing Humanitarian Aid for Palestine and Sudan at the Halim Perdana Kusuma Indonesian Air Force Base, East Jakarta, Wednesday (04/3), 2024.
For your information, the company from Brunei Darussalam, Brunergy Utama, is reportedly working on plans to build a high-speed train with Malaysia and Indonesia connecting Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and the Archipelago Capital region (IKN) in Kalimantan.
Quoting the Nikkei Asia report, Tuesday (2/4/2024), the fast train project called Trans Borneo is said to stretch 1,620 kilometers across three countries from west to east of Kalimantan Island.
Based on Brunergy Utama’s announcement quoted by Nikkei Asia, the first phase of the fast train project will connect Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan, Kuching, Kinabalu, to Tutong district, Brunei.
Meanwhile, the second phase of Trans Borneo will cross the southern and eastern areas of Kalimantan, including Samarinda and Balikpapan.
“In the future, this fast train will also be connected to Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara,” said the announcement quoted by Nikkei Asia.
This cross-country fast train project is said to cost around US$70 billion or the equivalent of IDR1,117 trillion if realized. The plan is that this project will have four terminals that function as hubs and a total of 24 stations. This fast train is also said to be traveling at a speed of up to 350 kilometers per hour or equivalent to the speed of Indonesia’s WHOOSH Fast Train.
However, until now there has been no definite confirmation regarding the involvement of the Indonesian and Malaysian governments in this project.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of the State of Sabah, Malaysia, Haji Noor appreciated the plan to build this fast train. According to him, this project can be a catalyst for economic growth in the Borneo region.
Noor said that some of the positive impacts if this project is realized are increasing trade, supporting industrial growth, boosting tourism, and increasing connectivity between communities. [bisnis.com/photo special]
