The great North Borneo Railway experience

I am honoured to be one of the passengers at the re-launching of North Borneo Railway this morning.

The North Borneo Railway was temporarily closed in September 2005 due to the upgrading works of the railway track by the ministry of transportation, but it continued its service on July 4th 2011 after the upgrading works was completed.

North Borneo Railway is a joint venture project between Sutera Harbour and the State Railway Department, signifying a historical collaboration through common initiatives between the private sector and the State government.

Sitting inside the carriage creates the nostalgic romance of people traveling by steam train in the past. The rail line runs from Tanjung Aru through the towns of Kinarut, Kawang and Papar. The train crosses over the Papar River over steel trestle bridge into Papar where the train will stop for a least 30 to 40 minutes for passengers to experience the "rice bowl" township.

The North Borneo Railway is the last of a fleet of locomotives that once plied the tracks through Borneo since the late 1880s, was manufactured by the Vulcan Fondry Ltd in Newton-le-Willows in Lancashire, United Kingdom.

The train features five fully refurbished colonial-style passenger train carriages. Each carriage can accommodate 16 persons to provide a total 8- passengers. Refurbished to reflect the steam engine era, both the exterior and interior provide and environment that would have been typical of stepping onto a train in 1990.

The exterior utilizes the traditional deep green and cream of the original North Borneo Railway, with carved brass logos, showcasing the original design of a tiger holding a rail wheel, standing on the royal crown.

The train runs on every Wednesday and Saturday between Kota Kinabalu and Papar, priced at RM250 for adult, RM150 for children between the ages of 2 to 12 and complimentary for children below 2 years old. Its quite pricey, not recommended to budget traveler.

Arriving at the Tanjung Aru station, passengers will board the train at a designated platform that have been styled to create a distinctive historical feeling.

Passengers are offered free seating on one of the awaiting carriages. Along the journey, passengers will be treated to some of the most unique interesting scenery in Sabah whilst being pampered with polished service onboard.
On the return leg, passengers will experience "tiffin-styled" meals, which accent a typical railway meal of the turn of the century. Served in traditional tiffin boxes, the unique culinary experience highlights the exotic blend of Asian and continental cuisine, primarily focusing on a sampling of Malaysian delights.

Booking details just email infor@northborneorailway.com.my the staff will reply you ASAP.

It was a free of charge 3-hour train ride for me, so I don't have to prepare the ticket fees. Great experience, but to be honest it's too expensive. Can't complain more because it is not easy to look after an old train. Must be the maintenance. However, passengers can be assured of hospitality and five-star service that is synonymous with Sutera Harbour.
Departing from Tanjung Aru Station to Papar... Im checking my 'mock passport' and boarding pass.

Ice Lemon Tea... Refreshing!

Nasi Lemak for breakfast.

Mouth watering menu.

 I love the "tiffin-styled" meals

Lunch.Sooo kenyang!

 We were welcomed with a Brunei traditional dance, Adai-Adai

 Dessert. Ice Cream!!!

Postcards are available, but too bad they are selling RM25 for eight pcs.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Interesting indeed..BUT too expensive for local tourist & perhaps they wanted to attract foreign tourist:)
By the way is that fare including meal...

carolchs said...

So nice. Would love to try but honestly, kalo orang sendiri, tempat sendiri and with that kind of price...mcm nda sanggup pula. Unless im an outsider, i dont mind trying it with that price. Hmmmm....

LM the Traveler said...

Sutera is charging the same price for both local and foreigner. but indeed, its a great experience. My personal opinion (kalau ada duit lebih), PALING MANANG kalau naik to celebrate valentine's day. hehehehehe. romantic bah!

Meitzeu said...

that was fun! I wish to be there and such a waste that I was unable to go for it when meatball was there.

mt

jipp said...

Fuyooo. AMahal kopio.

♥BelLa Ace♥ said...

RM250???!!!punya mahal...mimang urg tempatan x tnaik la.. huhu...mungkin lpas bbrapa lama, bru dorg kasi turun harga...mungkin la..
So nice..mau naik juga, tp too pricey bah.. huhu..
Lucky u got the experience.. =)

carolchs said...

Good idea! Hmmm another reason to splurge. Well, bukan selalu kan dan bila lagi? hehe

LM the Traveler said...

Meitze: use ur CNY angpows to buy the tickets, heheehehe.
♥BelLa Ace♥ : Minta hadiah valentine's day.
chegu carol: satu kali saja bah... kalau selalu, org kaya bun buli bankrupt.

Post a Comment