MIRI, March 30 — The first high-speed rail network in Borneo has been proposed, set to shorten the travelling distances between Kalimantan, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei.

Brunei based Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd, on its website, announced that the Trans Borneo Railway project would be implemented in two phases involving routes spanning 1,620 kilometres.

It said the average distance between stations each would be 150km and the speed of the train would be between 300 and 350 kilometres per hour with an estimated average travel time between stations of only 30 minutes.

"The first phase will connect cities from West to the East coast, beginning in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and ending in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, which is an economic focal area.

"The route will include cities like Kota Kinabalu, Kimanis/Papar, Beaufort, Sipitang, Lawas, Bangar, Limbang, Bukit Panggal, Miri, Bintulu, Sibu, Sri Aman, Kuching, Sambas Singkawang, Mempawah and Pontianak.

Meanwhile, the company said, the second phase would involve North and East Kalimantan connecting the main route with Samarinda and to the new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara.

"The route includes Long Seridan, Ba Kelalan, Long Bawan, Malinau, Tanjung Selor, Tanjung Redeb, Pengadan, Lubuk Tutung, Bontang, Samarinda and Balikpapan,” it said.

The Trans Borneo Railway will have four terminals serving as the main hubs for mass transportation, along with 24 stations stretching throughout the island. Both routes will converge in the Tutong district in Brunei, to serve as the central hub for the railway.

Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd is a wholly-owned Brunei company focusing on major infrastructure projects to drive future growth in Borneo.

Established on October 21, 2013, Brunergy was previously known as Mumin Energy (B) Sdn Bhd, which primarily operated in the oil and gas sector.

A year later in 2014, its founders Danny Chong and Khalid Abdul Mumin realigned the company’s mission to focus on mass transportation delivery systems for Brunei and Malaysia. It was renamed to Brunergy Utama (B) Sdn Bhd on Aug 5, 2014. — The Borneo Post