Melalap Railway Station to reopen
TENOM: The Melalap Railway Station, here, which was closed down 49 years ago, is set to operate once again within the next three years.
The train station is being re-developed beginning early March, which also involves the upgrading of the Tenom-Melalap railway track spanning 14km with an allocation of RM10 million.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the redevelopment of the railway station and tracks was part of the state government’s effort to develop the railway services as an efficient transportation system connecting rural and urban areas in Sabah.
He said the train service would also provide an alternative mode of transport to local residents in Tenom, Pensiangan and Keningau who mostly relied on buses and taxis.
“We will connect (Melalap railway station) to Tenom (and onwards) to Beaufort-Kota Kinabalu. The reconstruction (of the station) has already begun involving a 300m platform,” he told reporters after opening the reconstruction project here yesterday.
Also present were deputy chief ministers Datuk Jaujan Sambakong and Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau as well as Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony.
The chief minister said there were many benefits of reviving the railway station as Tenom had great potential in the tourism and agricultural sectors.
The Melalap station was built in 1906 during the British rule and was part of the Western Sabah Railway line before it was closed down in 1970. - Bernama