TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has commented on plans to build a high-speed train network from Brunei Darussalam. He claimed that there have been no formal discussions yet about the project, which will pass the Indonesian State Capital of Nusantara or IKN in North Penajam Paser, East Kalimantan.

“The plan has already existed for a long time,” the President said after handing over humanitarian aid at the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

A Brunei infrastructure company Brunergy Utama Sdn Bdh recently announced its commitment to work on the first high-speed rail network project in Borneo. The Trans Borneo Railway will connect Kalimantan in Indonesia, Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysia, and Brunei.

According to the company's website, the project will be developed in two phases, covering a distance of 1,620 kilometers. The average distance between stations will be 150 kilometers, and the train speeds will range from 300 to 350 kilometers per hour, with an estimated average travel time of only 30 minutes between stations.

The first phase will connect cities from the west coast to the east coast, starting in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and ending in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The route will encompass several cities, including Kuching, Sambas Singkawang, Mempawah, and Pontianak.

The second phase of the project will cover North and East Kalimantan, with the main route connecting to Samarinda and Indonesia's new capital IKN, passing through Bawan, Tanjung Selor, Bontang, Samarinda, and Balikpapan, among others.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

Editor's Choice: Brunei Company Announces High-speed Train Project Across Borneo Connecting IKN and Malaysia

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News