Railway services disrupted in flood-hit districts

0

The Beaufort railway station is severely flooded.

Motorists taking shelter on the Bandau roundabout.

A flooded stretch of the road from Membakut to Beaufort.

KOTA KINABALU: Floods in four districts in Sabah since January 20 have affected railway services involving six of 14 stations of the single 134km railway line.

Sabah State Railway Department general manager Melvin V. Majanga said the affected railway tracks stretched from the Bongawan station near Membakut to the Rayoh station in Tenom.

“We will assess those railway tracks which are still covered with water as soon as the water recedes.

“Those tracks which are not affected will also be assessed and strengthened to ensure that they do not pose any possibility of derailment,” he told Bernama when contacted here yesterday.

Majanga said some spots on the railway track were also affected by landslide caused by heavy rain and work was underway to clear the debris.

Meanwhile, people in Beaufort who go to work by train are forced to use alternative transport to get to their destination as the railway station here is affected by flood.

Sabah Railway Department traffic superintendent Awang Zainudin A M said that the public, especially civil servants, commute by train to the city.

“However, train service has been temporarily stopped due to the flood. We do not know when the service will resume for now, but let’s hope for the best,” he said.

Awang added that to date, the train service is only available from Tanjung Aru to Bongawan and from Tenom to Rayoh.

Most regular train passengers here now have to go to the Bongawan railway station.

Heavy downfall caused floods in Membakut, Beaufort and Tenom since January 20, forcing many residents to evacuate their homes.

On Wednesday, Sipitang became the fourth district to be hit by the floods.

As of yesterday morning, the floodwaters in Tenom have begun to recede.