A runaway train was successfully stopped with the assistance of a trolley motorcycle owned by villagers in Sabah, ultimately avoiding what could have been a massive tragedy.
Melalap assemblyman and Sabah Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Jamawi Jaafar, took to his Facebook page to share how a train carrying school teachers had experienced a brake failure, leading the vehicle to become unstoppable.
“I received information about the occurrence of a ‘brake failure’ incident on a train carrying teachers from SK Pangi, Tenom, this morning,” Jamawi Jaafar wrote.
“I request and hope that the Sabah State Railway Department will conduct a full investigation into this matter and take immediate steps to ensure that this incident does not happen again.”
He also shared a video taken from inside the train during the incident, where passengers could be seen crouching behind seats to brace for impact.
The root of the incident
According to a report by Sinar Harian, Tenom District Police Chief Superintendent Azmir Abd Razak explained that, due to flooding and landslides along the Tenom–Pangi track, train services had been limited to Mile 11.
He added that, at the time of the incident, several trolley motorcycles belonging to residents were parked on the track while the owners waited for family members to arrive on the train.
“Upon arriving at Mile 11, the train is believed to have lost control when the brake system failed before hitting a trolley motorcycle on the track. As a result of the collision, the train derailed and also hit four motorcycles,” Azmir Abd Razak stated.
“A man on a trolley motorcycle is believed to have jumped after realising the train was still speeding even though it was supposed to stop. The victim was reported to have suffered only minor injuries.”
Thankfully, no other injuries were reported.
Replacement of damaged property
In an update, Jamawi Jaafar shared that the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, has agreed to donate new motorcycles to the owners of the vehicles damaged or destroyed in the incident.
He went on to praise the train driver’s calm demeanour in managing the situation and expressed his hope that the teachers who were on the train would continue their vital work educating the children of Sabah.
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