Complex sentence: Construction of the then North Borneo Railway was started in 1896 under the command of Civil Engineer Arthur J West, and was originally intended primarily for the transport of tobacco from the interior to the coast for export.
Split into simpler sentences: Construction of the then North Borneo Railway began in 1896 under the command of Civil Engineer Arthur J West. It was originally intended primarily for the transport of tobacco from the interior to the coast for export.