Sarawak Railway Line

{{Short description|Proposed railway in Malaysia}} The '''Sarawak Railway Line''' is a proposed project by the [[Government of Malaysia|Malaysian government]] to establishing a railway network in the state of [[Sarawak]].<ref name="rail network development">{{cite web|url=http://www.mot.gov.my/en/lands/rail-transport/sabah-sarawak-network-development-planning|title=Sabah and Sarawak Network Development Planning|publisher=Ministry of Transport, Malaysia|accessdate=14 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314045725/http://www.mot.gov.my/en/lands/rail-transport/sabah-sarawak-network-development-planning|archivedate=14 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smec.com/Default.aspx?aProjId=831|title=Study on the Sarawak Railway Network Development|publisher=[[SMEC Holdings]]|accessdate=14 March 2016|archive-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314110156/http://www.smec.com/Default.aspx?aProjId=831|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2008, it was reported the project will be ready in 2015 but still no signs of development by the government until present.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bt.com.bn/asia_news/2008/10/14/sarawaks_rapid_railway_ready_by_2015|title=Sarawak's rapid railway ready by 2015|work=[[Bernama]]|publisher=[[The Brunei Times]]|date=14 October 2008|accessdate=14 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314044228/http://www.bt.com.bn/asia_news/2008/10/14/sarawaks_rapid_railway_ready_by_2015|archivedate=14 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History == Together with its neighbour of [[Sabah]], Sarawak once had a small railway line, about 10 miles (16 km) long serving [[Kuching Division|the region of Kuching]], providing cargo and passenger services. It was opened in August 1915 and was ordered closed in 1931 due to financial losses, amidst the [[Great Depression]]. In the following years it was used occasionally to haul stone from the quarry at the 10th mile of the line, and during [[World War II]] it was taken over by the [[Japanese Empire|Japanese]].

The line was finally closed in 1947; the tracks were sold for scrap in Singapore in 1959. During operation, the passenger coaches were acquired from [[Myanmar Railways|Burma]] while the goods wagons were bought second-hand from [[Keretapi Tanah Melayu|FMSR]]. To date, Sarawak, as Malaysia's largest state by area, has no rail transport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://searail.malayanrailways.com/Sarawak/Sarawak.htm|title=Sarawak Government Railway|publisher=Asian Railways|accessdate=14 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314045219/http://searail.malayanrailways.com/Sarawak/Sarawak.htm|archivedate=14 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the modern days, the Malaysian government is planning to revive the Sarawak railway system back beside upgrading the rail network in Sabah.<ref name="rail network development"/>

== Expansion proposal and connection of Borneo railway systems == Once if the project is complete, there is also a proposal to connecting the rail networks of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia with the provinces of [[Kalimantan]] in [[Indonesia]] that will be called as [[Trans-Borneo Railway]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=20000415&id=2lNIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bBQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6628,4594625&hl=en|title=Work on trans-Borneo rail line begins in November|publisher=[[New Straits Times]]|date=15 April 2000|accessdate=14 March 2016}}</ref> as Indonesia were currently developing the railway network on their side.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indonesia.rbth.com/news/2015/11/20/pembangunan-rel-kereta-api-di-kalimantan-resmi-dimulai_542793|title=Pembangunan Rel Kereta Api di Kalimantan Resmi Dimulai|author=Fauzan Al-Rasyid|language=Indonesian|publisher=RBTH Indonesia|date=20 November 2015|accessdate=14 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.detik.com/finance/berita-ekonomi-bisnis/3505987/peta-rel-kereta-kalimantan-rencana-jokowi|title=Peta Rel Kereta Kalimantan Rencana Jokowi|author=Angga Aliya ZRF|language=Indonesian|publisher=DetikFinance|date=19 May 2017|accessdate=29 May 2017}}</ref>

==See also== * [[Kuching Urban Transportation System]]

== References == <references />

[[Category:Proposed rail infrastructure in Malaysia]] [[Category:Transport in Sarawak]]