PERKEMBANGAN PERKHIDMATAN KERETAPI DI SABAH, 1881-1963: SATU TINJAUAN

Abstract

Social development in Sabah, including the construction and upgrading of railways, was important for the state’s economic activities. The economic and social needs prompted the British colonial administration to improve the railway facilities. This article discusses the development of railways in Sabah under the British colonial administration between 1881 and 1963. This study seeks to determine if the building of railways in Sabah involved the building of new railway lines or merely the upgrading of existing ones. This study has found that the railways development is evident under the British North Borneo Chartered Company (SBBU) and then rose slowly but consistently under British colonial rule. The length of railways increased considerably as a result of upgrading works by the British after the Second World War. The upgrading of railways contributed to socioeconomic change in Sabah which was visible in the increased agricultural productivity and improvements in the industrial sector. The building of railways also contributed towards economic growth as evident in the increase in new settlement areas, employment opportunities and demographic change in Sabah.