Railway linking Bintulu Port to Nusantara being studied — Dr Sim
The government is studying a proposal to build a railway linking Bintulu Port to Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said Bintulu Port’s strategic location in Borneo could facilitate the movement of goods from Sarawak to Indonesia using a shorter travel distance compared to shipping routes.
“Can you imagine if the port does not belong to us (Sarawak government) and we want to potentially build a railway line all the way to the new capital of Indonesia?” he said during grant-distribution event here yesterday.
Noting that the distance between Bintulu Port and Nusantara is only a few hundred kilometres, Dr Sim said a high-speed rail could cover the distance within three hours compared to ships which would take around two days.
Last Friday, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas to the facilitate the change of Bintulu Port’s status from a federal port to a state port by this year.
The MoU will also see the entire operation of Bintulu Port handed over to the Sarawak government by 2025.
On another note, Dr Sim remarked that Sarawak has entered into a phase of nation building, with the state government led by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg initiating the takeover Bintulu Port and MASwings as well as acquiring a significant stake in Affin Bank.
Earlier, the deputy premier presented grants to 45 nongovernmental organisations at the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party headquarters.