KOTA KINABALU: An investigation is being carried out to determine the cause of a collision between a train from Beaufort and a car at the old Papar Road yesterday.
The train that collided with the car.
The damaged car at the scene after being hit by the train.
A spokesman for the Railway Department said they are investigating from all angles, including the gateman on duty as well as the car driver.
It was said that the train left Beaufort at around 11am for Kota Kinabalu with a full passenger load.
It hit the Kia Spectra car around 1pm when the car was turning into a junction towards Kampung Tombovo from the main road.
“No one was hurt in the incident,” said the spokesman.
This was the second incident in consecutive days involving the train service, which was delayed by some two hours on Monday when an excavator stalled on the railway track.
According to the spokesman, the normal procedure is that all gatemen would be notified as soon as a train is leaving a station.
The driver would also sound the honk while the train is at least 500 metres from every stop point, gate or junction to forewarn people or motorists.
“This is to keep the gatemen warned and ready to wave the flag to notify motorists and the public about the approaching train. We are still using the manual way since most of the gates are still in the various stages of construction. They will be ready soon,” the spokesman said.
He disclosed that in the past two months, the department had begun dry run of the train to re-introduce the services to the public before the official launch on Feb 21.
“Many people are excited about the train services, and in fact, the response has been very encouraging. We have been able to fill up the train for every trip,” he said.
The spokesman advised motorists to stay at least three metres away from the railroads.
“Less than that you are in a danger zone. Moreover, it is an offence and you can be penalised,” he said.
Meanwhile, one of the passengers on board the train recounted a terrifying five-minute spell when the train driver applied the emergency brake in a desperate attempt to avoid the collision with the car.
“I was shocked when the train driver suddenly applied the emergency brake. I knew something was wrong before realising the train had hit a car,” said Tan Joon Bin, a freelance photographer.
“I quickly grabbed my camera and took some photos from the train window,” he said.