The North Borneo Railway provides nostalgia-loving tourists the opportunity to experience a half-day outing in a retro-styled railway carriage pulled by a classic British-made Vulcan steam locomotive.
These tours are operated by Sutera Harbour Resort and only run twice a week and include a continental breakfast and a tiffin colonial style lunch.
The staff on-board the train wear colonial era pith helmets, “empire builder” shorts and long white socks. The five carriages are refurbished with vintage seat upholstery and are not air-conditioned.
There are ceiling fans and windows are kept open so you might get a whiff of train smoke, although this steam engine burns wood so it is cleaner and less pungent than the old coal fired locomotives.
The train runs from Tanjung Aru in Kota Kinabalu to the small town of Papar, a distance of around 35km each way, on tracks owned by the Sabah State Railway.
Passengers should arrive at Tanjung Aru railway station at 9.30am where a continental breakfast will be served on-board before the train departs at 10am.
It chugs along at a leisurely 20kph through Kota Kinabalu’s urban sprawl and provides glimpses of the South China Sea near Lokawi Bay.
Rural kampung village scenes are next before reaching the town of Kinawat. The train stops here for 20 minutes allowing you a chance to disembark for a quick look at the Tien Shi Temple.
The journey then continues past paddy fields before reaching Papar at 11.45am. The train stops here for 35 minutes so you can get off to stretch your legs and perhaps visit the local wet market and some nearby shops.
The train departs Papar at 12.20pm following which a colonial inspired tiffin lunch is served before arriving back at Tanjung Aru at 1.40pm.
Ticket prices seem to go up every year and at the current RM358 per adult or child aged four and above, it is quite expensive. The price includes service charge and SST. Children below three years old ride for free.
The price includes continental breakfast and a tiffin style lunch with homemade lemonade.
It also includes transfer from the Sutera Harbour Resort Hotel but only for guests staying at that hotel. Non-guests have to find their own way to the Tanjung Aru railway station.
Various tour companies do offer this same package but it is usually priced even more expensively.
Operating hours
The train only runs twice per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Boarding is at 9.30am at Tanjung Aru railway station. Do arrive on time to enjoy the continental breakfast before the train departs at 10am. The train returns at 1.40pm. You need to book at least one day prior to departure.
Office opening hours: 10.00am to 6.00pm (Monday-Friday), 9.00am to 5.00pm (Saturdays)
Tanjung Aru railway station
Jalan Kepayan
88999 Kota Kinabalu
Tel: +60 88 308 500
This article first appeared in Malaysia Traveller