JAKARTA – Transportation Ministry promised to expedite train network development from and to ports to improve inter-mode connectivity.
Hanggoro Budi Wiryawan, Train Directorate General’s Train Transportation and Traffic Director, said the great focus on train development in this year is on Trans-Sumatra train connecting Banda Aceh to Lampung.
However, he asserted Transportation Ministry will keep constructing and developing railways connecting ports. The railway development is conducted in Aceh, Medan, Padang, and Lampung.
Railway development outside Sumatra is conducted in Semarang and Jakarta connecting Tanjung Emas Port and Tanjung Priok Port.
According to him, the train heading to port used to be operated but currently, it is abandoned. After it is re-operated, he added, the route will be the part of Trans Sumatra construction and development. “We highly focus on Trans Sumatra but we keep paying attention to it since it has been existed,” he said on Friday (1/2).
Meanwhile, National Development Planning Ministry (Bappenas) targeted Trans Sumatra lane, as instructed by President Joko Widodo, will be connected in 2025 with IDR 65 trillion budget. The investment is only needed to complete un-connected railway lane.
For the current condition, the existing train network is 196 kilometers connecting Besitang to Rantau Prapat in North Sumatra. Specifically, the connected railway from Palembang to Lampung has 400-kilometer length.
The un-connected railway in Sumatra is located in North Sumatra to Aceh for 518 kilometers with IDR 15.5 trillion investment.
Moreover, the government also has a task to connect the railway between North Sumatra to South Sumatra for 1,650 kilometers of IDR 49.5 trillion.
Carmelita Hartoto, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Deputy Chairman for Logistic, welcomes the government’s plan to develop train railway to port.
However, he reminded to not let railway development double commodity distribution cost at port which can increase logistic cost. “We expected from port to port, end to end.” The government also needs to implement inter-mode supporting policy and to ensure transportation development task distribution between the government and private party. (Bisnis Indonesia)
