KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor will contribute six new motorcycles to replace the trolley motorcycles destroyed by a runaway train.
ALSO READ: Motorcycle trolleys already on tracks, not thrown on rails to stop train, says Ewon
State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the Chief Minister’s chief political secretary Azrul Ibrahim had contacted him to inform him that the Chief Minister had given immediate approval to provide new motorcycles for the villagers.
Jamawi, who is also Melalap assemblyman, said the contribution reflected the state government’s concern for the six youths who lost their trolley motorcycles after placing them on the railway track to help slow down and stop the runaway train on Tuesday.
“If not for the six trolley motorcycles placed on the track, a worse tragedy could have occurred, as the train’s speed at that time was uncontrollable.
“On behalf of these youths, I extend my gratitude and appreciation to the Chief Minister for this contribution,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Jamawi described the six trolley motorcycle owners and the train driver as “unsung heroes” who acted bravely to avert a tragedy.
He said the train driver was calm and did not panic when faced with the tense situation as the brakes failed along the hilly tracks in Tenom.
“The positioning of the six motorcycles on the track helped slow down the train before the driver managed to regain control of the train fully,” he added.
In the incident, the train with about 12 passengers, mostly primary school teachers of SK Pangi were unhurt but badly shaken after the train halted near the Kg Pangi rail station area.
Villagers in Kg Pangi modify their motorcycles with rail wheels to run on the rail tracks as an alternative transport when train services are disrupted due to floods or landslides to travel between Tenom town and Kg Pangi.
The motorcycles carry passengers and goods while connecting the villages to schools, markets, and medical facilities as an alternative to the rail service, which can be limited and unreliable.
Sabah Railway Department has yet to comment on the incident.
The rail network in Sabah consists of a single 134km track linking 15 stations starting from Tanjung Aru here all the way to Tenom, passing through interior areas that include Beaufort.
Meanwhile the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Malaysia (CILTM), Sabah Section, has voiced serious concern over the runaway train incident.
It called for an immediate review and upgrade of rail safety systems to align with modern, risk-based asset management standards.
NOTE: This story has been amended to reflect a Thursday (March 12) statement by Ewon Benedick who said the motorcycle trolleys were already on the track, not thrown onto the rails by villagers to stop the runaway Railbus RB8801 at the Kg Pangi station.
