North Borneo Heritage Train

The North Borneo Heritage Train is a heritage railway experience operating from Tanjung Aru Station in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Operated on the Sabah State Railway line, it uses a restored British-built Vulcan steam locomotive and colonial-style carriages. The excursion runs to Papar and back, offering views of coastal areas, paddy fields and villages. Notable for its colonial-era rolling stock, Tiffin-style dining service and heritage tourism focus, it preserves the historic North Borneo Railway legacy.

Visitors can expect a half-day excursion on restored colonial-era carriages pulled by a vintage Vulcan steam locomotive departing from Tanjung Aru Railway Station. The train travels along the coastal Sabah State Railway line to Papar and returns, passing paddy fields, villages, mangroves and coastal scenery. Onboard, passengers sit in wood-panelled carriages with colonial decor, are served a Tiffin-style breakfast and lunch, and can view the locomotive and take photographs during station stops.

The line originates from the North Borneo Railway constructed under the British North Borneo Chartered Company between 1896 and 1905 to transport tobacco and later rubber. The heritage service preserves a Vulcan-built steam locomotive from the 1950s and colonial carriages, representing the only railway system in Borneo and its British colonial transport heritage.

The train showcases Sabah's colonial railway heritage and serves as a living heritage tourism attraction, offering visitors an experience of early 1900s rail travel, colonial-era hospitality and Tiffin dining culture associated with British North Borneo.