BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Brunei government shot down reports of a proposed trans-Borneo rail network, after widespread public speculation surrounding the matter due to the purported involvement of a Bruneian company.
“The Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has never offered or appointed any local or foreign company to undertake said project,” the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications said Thursday.
The statement came in response to an article published in The Borneo Post last week claiming that a Brunei-based company called Brunergy Utama was going to build a US$70 billion rail network that would link Brunei with the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and Kalimantan in Indonesia.
The story picked up significant traction on social media, with officials from Sabah and Sarawak also weighing in.
However, MTIC said there had been no discussions on the project at the governmental level, including between the states and relevant stakeholders: “For a project of such scale, it would undoubtedly require the commitment from each respective government first.”
The ministry also urged the public to “scrutinise and verify any information received” to prevent future misunderstandings.
Last month, Brunei’s transport minister Pg Dato Shamhary Pg Dato Hj Mustapha said that he was aware of two companies putting forward a proposal to build and operate a Borneo rail network, but that a feasibility study was needed to examine the investment, liabilities and stakeholder commitments before any plans could proceed.
On Monday, Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke also said that the project was only in the proposal stage, and that any mega project should only be considered valid if the government announces it.
As of press time, Brunergy Utama’s website has gone offline.