Sabah State Railway: Tenom to Tanjung Aru (Kota Kinabalu) by train

Sabah State Railway is a railway system in Sabah. The system runs 134 kilometres between Kota Kinabalu and Tenom and is currently the only railway system in the island of Borneo.

Constructed in the late 19th/early 20th century to facilitate the transport of tobacco from the interior to the coast, the line once consisted of three lines (Jesselton - Beaufort, Beaufort - Melalap, Beaufort - Weston) covering a distance of 193 kilometres. Between the '60s and '70s, however, the system was shortened to its present day route between Tanjung Aru and Tenom.

The railway line is operated by Sabah State Railway or Jabatan Keretapi Negeri Sabah (JKNS), a statutory body under the purview of Sabah's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

At present, the system is split into two operating sectors: Tanjung Aru - Beaufort and Beaufort - Tenom with no through ticketing between the sectors. This split (of operating sectors) is necessary due to weight restrictions on the Beaufort - Tenom sector that necessitated the use of different rolling stocks in both sectors. 

Leg 1: Tenom to Halogilat

Tenom railway station is located within Tenom town centre and is currently the southern terminus of the line (the line used to run further 16 kilometres up to Melalap). 

A carriage shed is located at the terminus end of the station. 

View of the station's single platform from the Jalan Tenom Penontomon level crossing. 

The ticketing counter opens 30 minutes before departure. 

There are two trains from Tenom daily, a morning train at 7.30am and an afternoon train at 1.00pm (12.30pm on Sundays). 

Single ticket from Tenom to Beaufort costs RM 2.75. A train change is required at Halogilat due to the use of different rolling stocks between these sectors. 

Train 502, the 7.30am train to Beaufort (change at Halogilat) consists of a passenger coach and a goods van hauled by a Kawasaki light locomotive (No. 5205). 

Interior of the goods van. 

Interior of the passenger coach. 

The train is staffed by an engine driver and a guard/ticket inspector. 

Departed Tenom on time at 7.30am. 

The train's first stop was at Tenom Lama where three passengers boarded. Although there are only two official intermediate stops between Tenom and Halogilat, there are eight request stops (halts) between them. 

Fellow passengers helped the two boarding passengers to load their goods. 

The guard, in addition to carrying out ticket inspections, also checks on whether any of the passengers are alighting at a halt. 

View of a tunnel between Tenom and Pangi. 

A large portion of the line between Tenom and Beaufort runs close to the Padas River. 

The train's first official stop is Pangi, a small railway station located at the centre of a village. 

Located adjacent to the railway tracks is SK Pangi. Due to the school's proximity to the station, many of the school's pupils and teachers take this train to school every day. 

The train's second official stop is Rayoh. Most of the passengers got off at this station. 

Rayoh station has a passing loop and a siding for maintenance trains. 

Passing by a section of the track where sleeper replacement was being carried out. 

The train pulled into Halogilat station at 9.00am, 90 minutes after leaving Beaufort. 

Passengers continuing their journey to Beaufort (and those coming from Beaufort to Tenom) are required to change trains at this station. 

The 5205 will take her two coaches back to Tenom as a continuation of Train 101A. 

Leg 2: Halogilat to Beaufort

The train from Halogilat to Beaufort is formed from a consist of a passenger coach and a passenger/goods wagon hauled by an OEPL diesel-hydraulic railbus (No. 8803). 

Interior of the railbus. 

Continuing the journey up to Beaufort. 

Between Halogilat and Beaufort, there is only one official intermediate stop - Saliwangan. However, there are 11 halts between these stops. 

Saliwangan station has a passing loop and a small siding for trolleys. 

Making a stop at Saliwangan Lama halt. 

Entering Beaufort station. 

Arrived at Beaufort 5 minutes early. 

Leg 3: Beaufort to Tanjung Aru 

The 86km section between Beaufort and Tanjung Aru was upgraded between 2006 and 2011 to allow larger, longer trains for faster service with higher passenger capacity. This sector allows operation at the line's maximum operating speed of 80km/h, enabling the journey to be completed in 2 hours . In contrast, the shorter Tenom - Beaufort sector requires 2.5 hours of travelling time in a slower, shorter train. 

Beaufort railway station is located at the western end of Beaufort town centre, along the eastern banks of the Padas river. 

A motive power depot is located at the western end of the station. This depot can be used to stable trains on both the Beaufort - Halogilat and Beaufort - Tanjung Aru. 

There are two trains from Beaufort to Tanjung Aru daily, a morning train at 5.00am and an afternoon train at 11.01am. Return trips from Tanjung Aru depart at 7.45am and 5.30am (5am on Sundays). 

Tickets can be purchased 30 minutes before the train departs. A single journey ticket to Tanjunng Aru costs RM 4.80. 

Train 502 (Beaufort - Tanjung Aru) is formed from a consist of three decommissioned diesel multiple unit (DMU) carriages hauled by OEPL railbus No. 8802. 

Interior of one of the carriages. 

The leading carriage has a diesel generator that supplies electricity to the carriages' fans. I personally find this power generation arrangement interesting as in other similar carriages, the fans are powered by dynamos. 

Interior of the railbus. 

The service between Tanjung Aru and Beaufort is usually worked by a larger CRRC push-pull train with air-conditioned carriages. On this particular day, however, the push-pull train has been taken off service due to a malfunction and was replaced by 8802 and her carriages. 

Interior of the push-pull train. 

The system used to have electric signals and ATP signalling system, but these have fallen into disuse and is now replaced by manual signalling utilising stop boards and train running orders. 

All track points are operated manually by a pointsman. 

The train departed on time at 11.01am with a full passenger load. 

Membakut station. The station has a passing loop and a siding for maintenance vehicles. 

Between Kimanis and Papar, the track cuts through the the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal. 

The track then hugs the coast line, giving the passengers a first-class view of the South China Sea. 

Papar, an important intermediate station along the line. 

A turntable is located at the northern end of the station. This turntable is believed to be electrically powered. 

Crossing the Papar Bridge. All iron bridges on this stretch of the line have yellow-coloured bridge trusses. 

Entering the Pengalat Tunnel. 

At Kinarut, the railbus (locomotive) was uncoupled from the rake and driven into the railway's central workshop to refuel. 

The out-of-service push-pull train can be found inside one of the workshop sheds. 

After refuelling, the railbus was reversed back into Kinarut station and re-coupled with her carriages. 

Entering Kota Kinabalu town. From here on, the line runs parallel to the Pan Borneo Highway. 

Passing by the North Borneo Railway's steam locomotive sheds. These steam locomotives are brought out on Wednesdays and Saturdays to pull a special North Borneo Railway leisure train. 

Entering Tanjung Aru station. 

Arrived at Tanjung Aru 14 minutes late. This delay was caused by the detour to depot for refuelling. 

Tanjung Aru station has been rebuilt as part of the Aeropod integrated residential and commercial development. 

While Tanjung Aru is the de jure northern terminus of the Sabah State Railway, the de facto terminus is actually Sembulan, a railway halt located approximately 2km north of Tanjung Aru. This station is served twice in weekdays only - an arriving train from Beaufort at 7.10am and the 5.30pm train to Beaufort. 

A turntable can be found south of Sembulan station, along Lorong Mat Salleh. 

BONUS CONTENT: DISUSED LINE TO MELALAP

During my trip to Tenom, I was informed by my homestay host about the presence of a disused track running further up the line from Tenom. Turns out that this disused track was the remnants of the original 1906 extension to Melalap. 

The Tenom - Melalap extension was closed in 1970 due to competition from newly built roads that made this section of line less economically viable. Shown here is the disused Melalap railway station. 

However, an 800-metre stretch of the line past the Tenom carriage sheds is believed to be in useable condition, as a well-maintained ex-KTM Class 17 locomotive was found stabled at the buffer stop of that short section. 

The said locomotive is 17105, a diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive built by Kisha Seizo in 1964. 17105 is believed to be owned by Hikmat Asia, a company contracted by the Malaysian government to rehabilitate the railway tracks between Beaufort and Tenom. 

Sabah State Railway - Train Service Information

Note: 

1. Timings highlighted in yellow denotes departure times for same-day connection between Tanjung Aru - Beaufort and Beaufort - Tenom Trains. 
2. No train services to/from Sembulan on Sundays

Special "Tamu" train

On Wednesdays and Sundays, there are additional morning trains for villagers to bring their produce to the town. These special "tamu" trains depart at the following timings: 

• Tenom > Rayoh: departs at 5.00am, arrives at 5.50am
• Rayoh > Tenom: departs at 6.05am, arrives at 7.10am

Railway Halts

There are request stops (halts) between Beaufort and Tenom. The names of the halts are as follows: 

• Beaufort
• St. John
• Jimpangah
• Batu 58½
• Deuntzer
• Batu 60
• Montenior
• Batu 61
• Batu 61½
• Grand Parade
• Batu 63
• Saliwangan Lama
• Batu 64½
• Saliwangan
• Batu 66 Baru
• Batu 66 Lama
• Batu 67
• Batu 68
• Halogilat
• Batu 70
• Rayoh
• Batu 75 Baru
• Batu 75 Lama
• Batu 78
• Kolondos
• Pangi
• Angin Lalang
• Masilau
• Tenom Lama
• Tenom