TANJUNG ARU RESORT
The steam locomotive of the hitherto North Borneo Railways brought 60 guests back down memory lane yesterday when it took a jaunt to Papar, about 39 kilometres from the state capital.
Launched as a joint-venture project between the Sutera Harbour Resorts and the Sabah State Railways Department in 2000, it aimed to preserve the historical significance through the run, while supporting the tourism sector in the state.
Commenting on yesterday’s run, the resort’s director of communications and marketing Kattie Hoo said, although the guests on the ride were mostly hotel guests, there were also some members of the public who were interested in the event and merely wanted to participate.
Hoo said, the train may well be the last locomotive in the world and as such it was an attraction not only to tourists but to locals as well.
According to her, the steam train which utilised wood as its fuel ensured a scenic ride for passengers at it brought them through villages and settlements that were still basically untouched by time.
“We started on July 4 this year and seats were fully booked which only goes to show that the response had been very encouraging so far,” she told reporters during the event yesterday to coincide with the train’s third run.
She expressed hope that the trend would continue and pick up more as it goes along.
Meanwhile, the train would be carrying out two runs weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays with five carriages. It would leave the Tanjung Aru train station at 10 am and reach Papar at 11.45am. Guests who take the package would be entitled to breakfast and lunch.
Further information could be obtained from Sutera Harbour Resorts’s lobby.
